Treacherous Waters
by ZeroInvador
Summary: Mermaids are dangerous creatures; they lurk in deep waters, luring sailors to their deaths. What will happen when Lena Oxton comes face to face with one? WidowTracer. Rated M for later chapters. Includes more characters.
1. Chapter 1

First off, I just wanna add a disclaimer and say I don't own Overwatch, or the characters. I mean honestly, if I did then I'd make all the gay ships canon.

Also a massive thank you to people who liked my other story and left reviews! And no worries, I will be continuing that one as well as this one. This is just an idea that popped up and I wanted to see if it was something people would be interested in… any who! Enjoy!

Resting her elbows on the ship's railing and cradling her face in her gloved hands, she gazed out at the horizon, taking in the breathtaking view in front of her. The sun rise was a beautiful sight, so peaceful at this time in the morning. The sky was tinted with pink and yellow streams, which faded slightly into a light blue. The sort of sight that you couldn't quite capture a perfect picture of, but to see it in front of you was truly magnificent.

Looking down, she saw the dark waves lapping at the side of the steam-powered ship, crashing against the letters of the ship's name, ' _The Bastion_ ', which was docked at the harbour. The cold spray tickled her forearms, making her shiver slightly from the cool morning breeze; her blue dungarees and orange t-shirt doing nothing against the cold. Lena inhaled deeply, the sea air around her smelt crisp and salty.

 _Just how I like it._

Lena sighed dreamily. This was where she was most at ease, in the early morning before anybody else was awake, in awe of the beautiful scenery around her.

Nothing could ruin the moment for her.

Nothing except-

"THERE YOU ARE, LEO!"

Lena jumped a mile, completely snapped out of her thoughts as she whirled around to find the hulking figure of Capt. Reinhardt looming over her with a huge grin on his bearded face.

Compared to Lena -who was a little on the scrawny side-, he was bloody huge. His broad chest and shoulders about as long as the length of Lena's whole torso. He wore a loose, white shirt with the sleeves rolled and the hem tucked into dark grey trousers, along with a pair of black boots. Tattoos adorned his arms and neck.

She winced as he clapped her on the back, knocking the wind out of her and almost knocking her over. His hands alone were three sizes bigger than her face.

 _Christ, it's like he doesn't know his own bloody strength, I swear._

His booming laugh rang in her ears as he steadied her stance. She wouldn't be surprised if his laugh caused the water to aggressively ripple below.

With a hand still covering her whole back, he patted her lightly. "Sorry, lad! Couldn't resist!" His thick German accent apparent in his deep voice.

That was another thing… Lena had passed as a boy to join this ship in the first place. She was unsure at first if the crew would accept her as a young woman, even going so far as attempting to deepen her voice and cutting her own hair into a short, spiky style; the flyaway strands now sticking on end. She wore a binder underneath her shirt, which flattened her chest enough that it wasn't noticeable, and was thankful that she already had a small chest to start with. It did nothing to hide the brass metal of her chronal accelerator however, the blue light shone through the middle of the bolted down plate, which she wore over her orange t-shirt.

The thing was, she wanted the crew to see her for her skills, not her gender. She felt like she'd had enough sexist quips from her last crew members, which dissuaded her from showing her true identity.

What surprised her the most, was that these crew member actually _believed_ that she was a boy. Honestly, you could tell a mile off that Lena was too pretty to be a bloke. They were also nicer than any crew she'd ever been with before, and she hoped that maybe one day, she'd show her true self.

But for now, her name was Leo. She'd decided that a name which was sort of similar to her own already would be the best bet. She was still getting used to it however, a few times she'd been oblivious to her new name being called.

Leaning back against the railing, Lena smiled up at the large man, her eyes wrinkling at the corners. She gave him a mock salute.

"Hiya, big guy. You're up early, ain't you?"

So used to being the only one awake during this hour, she was surprised that their Captain was awake.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest as he looked down at her. "Have you forgotten already? Today is the big day!"

Lena faltered.

 _Big day? What's happening today?_

She wracked her brains, trying to remember anything to do with today as she noticed the rest of the crew filing out of their cabins; most of them grumbling about the ungodly hour. She noticed Torbjörn and Lúcio, the latter was already wide awake and singing at the top of his lungs, trying to lift the spirits of the rest of the men.

She smiled at her friend. _He's probably annoying the shit out of 'em instead. He tries, bless him._

The ship's medic followed closely behind them.

Angela was an interesting addition to the crew members. The first woman she'd seen on a ship so far. It made Lena silently wish that she'd come clean, because maybe this lot were alright?

She dreaded when that time would come, all the different scenarios that ran through her thoughts were enough to keep her awake for hours at nig-

"Lad? You still with me?"

Lena blinked rapidly, realising it was her that he was still talking to. She looked up to see his expression had turned concerned.

"Eh? Oh, course, lo- er… you big lug!" She laughed nervously, almost calling him 'love'. She was sure that wouldn't go down well while posing as a bloke.

 _Whew, close one._

She was thankful for how oblivious Reinhardt was, her cover up going completely over his head.

"HAHAR! I am surprised you would forget! We're making a move from the dock today, back to Ilios, remember?"

Of course, how could she forget that? Ilios was her favourite harbour, after her home town of course. The white sandy beaches were beautiful, and the food was to die for.

She smiled. _Still not as good as fish n' chips from home._

"We'll be moving out in a while, you might want to make your checks below." He told her, jerking his thumb in the direction of the hold.

Lena nodded, pushing off of the railing with a sigh.

Making her way over to the double doors on the main decking, she threw a quick wave back over her shoulder.

"Cheers, Capt!"

As soon as she'd got below deck, she breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she loved being on the main deck, it was a relief to be alone and away from prying eyes. Down here in her holding area, she didn't have to worry about how she looked or acted.

The lighting of the hold was quite dim, the light streaming through a large, circular peep-hole window near her desk, which was cluttered with papers and blueprint drawings. The rest of her hold included a small bunk which was bolted to the wall with chains, as well as her personal belongings; her old pilot jacket hung from her desk chair, and a large collection of books took up the shelf on the far wall.

It was often that Lena could be found at her desk, drawing away the ideas in her head- which she had a load of. Her latest included a reinforced wing design for the ship.

 _Imagine a flying steam-powered ship!_

She grinned widely at that thought, a bubbly feeling rising in her chest. She always had loved flying.

Being the engineer of the ship had her down here more than with the rest of the crew, usually. As _The Bastion_ was an old, steam powered ship, she had to maintain it more than any previous ships she'd been on.

Grabbing her checklist and snapping her bright orange goggles on tightly, she began her regular maintenance; checking the clock dials which told her the oil and steam levels, making sure there was enough fuel stocked for the journey, unscrewing the bolts of the brass machinery to oil the chains inside and making sure to tighten any nuts and bolts that could have become loose.

Sometimes, all she had to do was give the machine a hard thwack with her spanner for the clock dials to turn green. Some engineers underestimated how a good punch would do the trick.

After re-tightening the bolts at the front of the machine, she took a step back to admire her handy work; wiping her hands in her overalls, she was pleased with the gentle hum and the whirring of the green faced clocks.

 _Looks like we're ready for take off!_

Skipping over to the tannoy system, which was built into the wall by her desk and plonking herself down on her rickety wooden chair, she gave the all clear to Reinhardt before slumping back in her chair.

With nothing else to do for the time being, Lena leaned back, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling; hearing the heavy footfalls of the crew members above her as they prepared to leave.

She idly twiddled her thumbs, starting to become bored. Her knees bounced with unused energy.

Soon they'd be arriving at Ilios' port, give or take a few hours. Lena could hardly wait, itching to walk along the harbour and take it all in. She could already feel the cool, white sand between her to-

A knock at the door startled her, she yelped, almost falling backwards off her chair as she scrambled up quickly.

 _Gotta get used to that._

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she made her way over to the door. Grabbing the handle, she opened it a small fraction, enough to see that it was Angela on the other side.

"Oh! Hiya, love!" She grinned as soon as she noticed it was Angela, pulling the door more widely open to greet her. "What brings you down to my humble abode?"

Lena didn't much care about hiding who she was with Angela, in fact, she was sure that the medic already knew. Although she knew the woman wouldn't say anything, she'd still keep up the pretense.

The medic was one of the sweetest women she'd ever met; always concerned about her wellbeing and needs and keeping her company when she was below deck. She was like a mum to the whole crew, often she would bring food down, complaining that Lena missed meals and was too skinny.

Angela laughed softly, reaching forward to ruffle her hair fondly.

Her laugh was something else. The best kind of medicine. It made Lena smile widely.

"Unfortunately, it's strictly business- our captain sent me to fetch you, there's a team meeting in his quarters".

"Meeting? What for?"

Angela beckoned her out. "We'll find out when we get there. Come!"

Closing the door behind her, she followed Angela up to the main decking, breathing in the fresh air and happy to be out of her stuffy room.

"How are you holding up?" Angela asked, glancing over her shoulder as they made their way to the captain's cabin.

Lena thought about it a second, before shrugging it off. "Oh y'know me, same old. Glad to be makin' a move though! I'm excited about Ilios," She swung her arms as she walked. "What about you, love?"

The medic smiled. "Just saving lives. You know, the usual."

It sounded like she was playing it off, but Angela took much pride in her work; most people actually thought of her as a miracle worker.

As soon as they'd got through the door, Reinhardt greeted them both with a wave before sitting around the big oval table; covered in maps and papers, along with small wooden ship figures scattered here and there.

Lena took in her surroundings. A large window sat at the back of the room, the morning light streaming through brightly. It was a rather spacious room with some interesting decor; the walls mostly covered in maps or animal skins, trophies of Reinhardt's adventures. On the shelves she saw telescopes, scales and glass jars, some filled with gold coins while others contained odd items such as animal teeth and pickled shark fins. Above the table, she could see nets and harpoons that hung from the ceiling.

A booming clap echoed throughout the room as Reinhardt brought his hands together, effectively drawing everyone's attention to him; the room going silent.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I've gathered you here." He strolled his way around the table slowly, hands held behind his back.

He moved to the side of the table, taking one of the wooden ship figures between his large fingertips and holding it up to the light before moving it across the map. A frown graced his hard facial features.

 _Must be serious,_ Lena thought. _He isn't often this serious._

"There have been reports surrounding Ilios, worrying ones." He pulled an old calendar out from under the rest of the papers on the table. Lena looked down and could see that the next few weeks were marked with thick red circles. "Any of you ever seen a mermaid?"

The room was filled full of quiet mumbling as a few of the men murmured to themselves and eachother.

 _Mermaids? Seems a bit surreal, doesn't it?_

Lena's eyes widened. She'd been told the stories, everyone had. They were the sort of scary stories that were told at night, around a campfire. The legends of mermaids weren't pretty ones, they were as deadly as they were beautiful.

She remembered Winston, her old scientist friend telling her about the sea witches, and how they could walk on land. It was frightening to think that they could easily walk among us.

You wouldn't know, until it's too late.

The captain cleared his throat, everyone's attention switching back to him. "No? I thought not. If any of you had, you would be dead."

Reinhardt jabbed his fingers on the current month's page. His eyes went dark. "I am sure you've all heard the stories surrounding them, so I will not repeat. A word of caution, it's their mating season. Be on your guard at all times, I would hate to lose any of you to _them."_ He spat the last word.

Before dismissing the crew, he briefly went over the directions to their destination. Though the atmosphere had turned quite grim a few moments ago, the men had bounced back surprisingly, rather quickly. They would take the shortest route, which would take around a few hours without any detours.

Torbjörn had told them that the weather was set to be clear, which was a relief. It was uncanny, the man with the black eye patch and white scraggly beard was rarely ever wrong about the weather. It was more of a surprise when he was wrong, to be honest.

He'd been here much longer than Lena had, even shown her the ropes when it came to maintaining the ship; being a good engineer himself.

With nothing else to keep herself occupied, Lena made her way back to her hold. She wasn't needed much on the top deck, there were enough men to man the ship without her. Sometimes she liked to hang around Lúcio, he'd taught her a few of the songs he knew since she'd arrived. Every time they were together now, he'd make her sing with him. Or have a _jamming session,_ as he liked to call it.

Not that she had minded not being needed above, however, she preferred to be drawing or reading down below.

Picking up one of her many books without looking at the covers, she collapsed back down on her bed; swinging her legs up to cross over each other as she flipped to the beginning and began to read.

She figured out which book she'd picked up as soon as she read the first sentence.

 _Ah, Mechanical & Material Engineering._

Hours had passed; the chatter of the crew above deck had quietened down as the men dispersed.

She'd become so engrossed in her book, that she hadn't realised that her eyes had started to strain while trying to read in the quickly darkening room.

Blinking rapidly and looking out the window, she was surprised to see that the sun was already setting; the sky mixed with deep oranges and pinks as the last dregs of sunlight slipped beneath the sea.

Folding over the corner of the page and placing the book on her pillow, she got up gingerly; her muscles ached from being in the same position for too long. She stretched, raising her arms above her head until she heard a few clicks from her aching shoulders.

Once satisfied, she walked over to her desk and sat down next to the window, peering out at the starry sky.

 _Clear as expected. Old Torb was right again._

Lena loved the night sky, just as much as the morning sky. Glancing at the few diagrams of the solar system on her desk, she traced her fingers across each planet. She had planned on buying a telescope with her next pay, declining when Reinhardt had offered her his own brass telescope.

No, she wanted to earn it herself. It was more special to her that way, and she was quite proud of that.

Lena yawned, her eyes drooping slightly. Reading had really taken it out of her, it seemed.

Resting her cheek against the window, she felt her consciousness ebbing away as sleep beckoned to her; her eyes drifting out of focus before finally shutting as she slipped into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

First off, a big thank you to the readers who favourited/followed/reviewed this fic, you guys are seriously wicked! Wasn't expecting a lot from this AU idea, just thought it'd be interesting to write. I'm really enjoying this a bunch, so cheers for that! Anyways, here's chapter 2, hope you enjoy!

.

Sunlight streamed through the circular window of Lena's cabin, warming her cheeks and making the darkness glow red behind her eyes. She awoke to the sound of squawking seagulls, and her cheek sore from leaning against the window.

She cracked her eyes open and rubbed her face, trying to regain the feeling there before sitting up; blinking the sleep from her eyes while yawning. Lena was surprised to see how late in the morning it was; the sun already high in the sky.

Above her, feet shuffled and clunked, along with the sound of loud chatter on the main deck. A loud bell rang in the distance.

She gasped, bolting back towards the window. What she saw lit her face up with a wide smile.

 _Ilios._

She let out a laugh and hopped up, grabbing her jacket and goggles before scrambling through the door. Getting above deck would give her a better view.

Shrugging on her jacket and using her goggles to push back her hair, Lena climbed the steps up to the decking. Straight away, she felt the cool wind blow against her face. The deck was busy, the crew hauling the cargo off the ship in an assortment of different containers; wooden boxes, bags and satchels, some odd looking jars- that Lena failed to get a better look of before they were taken out of view- and a few heavy looking chests.

Lena manoeuvred her way through the crates, dodging and darting to stay out of the way, narrowly missing bumping into a few containers that were being carried, by swerving to her left quickly.

Reinhardt stood near the docking area, clipboard in hand, checking off the goods that left the ship. Noticing Lena, he waved her over.

"Captain? Somethin' you need?"

Looking over the sheet in his hands, he flipped the page and squinted.

"Aye."

Leaning down to her level, he held the board up to her face, pointing out a few of the entries. "Would you mind picking up some of these, lad?"

Lena looked down at the list, smiling when she saw the last item.

"So, you want me to trade for these," She took the list from him, reading it more thoroughly. On the list she could see animal fat, matches, gunpowder, sugar and medical supplies, the words ' _for Angela_ ' were sprawled hastily next to that request. Further down the list she saw an untidy sprawl, which looked like a last minute addition. "and get you some fish n' chips? Y'know they taste way better in King's Row, yeah?"

Reinhardt grunted. "I am well aware."

Lena chuckled, nudging his side. "We'll get you some when we're next in my hometown, eh?"

That made him smile. "That would be grand." He handed her a large pouch full of gold coins, more than enough for trading, then made a shooing motion with his hand. "Now get going!"

As her feet hit the platform, she breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she loved being out on the open waters, it was a nice change being on solid land.

They were docked at the main harbour, which was, as usual jam packed and busy. She could hear music and singing, probably from the pub, which she would have fun visiting later. Plenty of ships littered the port, which was surrounded by dozens of wooden huts, scattered as far as the eye could see. The medical supplies were the first thing she bought, lucky that the stall was so easy to find among the rest. The bright red crossed sign giving it away instantly. Lena haggled, finally settling on giving five bronze Doubloons coins for the supplies that Angela needed. She clipped the medium sized box (which contained bandages, an assortment of syringes and plasters, a few antiseptic creams and several packs of painkillers) to her overalls.

Lena walked further into town, looking over the many other stalls. She could see that some were selling animal skins and trinkets, a few held a number of deadly looking weapons and nets, or sold a wide variety of different foods; from fresh produce to hundreds of spice jars. Lena took it all in, feeling great from having a change of scenery, the busy bustling of the town felt comfortable to her.

She breathed in deeply, the cloud of food smells around her mingling together. She caught whiffs of spices and fish, coming from the closest stall to her left.

 _Reinhardt can wait a bit, can't he?_

"COME GET YOUR FREE SAMPLES!"

Snapping her head in the direction the voice came from, she could see steaming hot plates, completely choc-a-block with mountains of food. Waiting for her.

… _Course he can._

She grinned, thanking the gods before making her way over to the closest stall. Ready to try anything and everything.

.

 _Oh, the regret I'm feeling..._

Lena groaned, now completely stuffed full of free samples of spiced fish. Not even thinking to check the watch on her wrist, she wondered how long she had been eating for. She hoped she hadn't been too long, Reinhardt was probably waiting for his supplies.

 _Gotta walk this off._

She winced, getting up from the small barrel she sat on. Eating like a pig probably wasn't the best idea… _free samples though._

Still, the weather was nice, and taking a stroll along the beach wouldn't take long.

She set off, leaving the booths and stalls, making her way closer to the harbour.

Once there, she bent down to take off her boots and socks, ready to walk across the sand. Getting sand in your boots was something you had to get used to, though Lena still tried her hardest to prevent it.

With her shoes swinging in her hand, she pressed forward, feeling the warm, gritty sand between her toes. Moving closer to the shore line, she wandered further down the beach; the foamy waves rising up to her ankles, and the medic pack bouncing against her thigh.

It was rather peaceful here, maybe at some point she'd consider living here a while. She wondered where life would take her next, or if she'd stay with her current group of sailors. A good job was hard to come by, and she was lucky to land the one she currently had. It was well paid with a friendly atmosphere, a lot more than she could say for her last one.

Maybe one day, she'd pilot again. Buy her own little biplane. The thought of donning her old, British pilot jacket and aviators brought a smile to her lips. Often she saw planes fly over the sea as they sailed to each destination, making her long to be up there with it. She sighed.

"One da-"

A piercing shriek pulled her from her thoughts. Her heartbeat sped up; focused eyes darting back and forth, looking for the source. Her breath quickened as she readied herself for anything, cramming her hand into her overall pocket and fishing out the first tool her fingers touched. A heavy wrench. She never went anywhere without at least one tool on her, what kind of engineer would she be otherwise?

The woman's shrill scream cut through the air yet again, making Lena panicky. She whirled around, trying to find where the commotion was coming from.

A desperate woman calling for help? But where is sh-

"We should teach her a lesson. This'll teach you to try and mess with us, _bitch!"_

Deep laughing along with a loud slap came soon after, making her gasp in alarm. Peering around the side of a solitary beach hut, she found the woman in question, trapped underneath a thick fishing net and surrounded by three burly looking fishermen.

They looked pretty ordinary, or so Lena thought. Dressed in your average, dark coloured fishing waders and wellies. One wore a hat which was adorned with hooks and fishing flies. On his left was a man who was a bit beefier than the other two. He wore a life jacket which was covered in badges. The last fisherman was bald, short and stocky. His hands and lower arms were covered in tattoos.

 _Jesus, they're bloody huge._

She looked from her wrench, then back to the three blokes in front of her, mind already made up. They might be big, but Lena was fast. She'd use that to her advantage.

"Oi, tossers! You're real brave taking on a defenceless woman like that!"

Calling them names probably wasn't the best way to sort this, but she didn't care. These arseholes needed to be dealt with. Funny how she found herself in these sorts of situations, trouble never could stay away for long.

One by one, the men spun around to face her. Their faces filled with anger.

The biggest grunt with the hat stepped forward, towering over her. His hard face scowling as he snarled at her. She held her ground, determined not to let this brute intimidate her. Up close, she noticed that his shirt was ripped in several places, deep red gash marks bit into his skin. Looking over the other two, she noticed similar marks adorning their skin as well.

"You call _this_ a 'defenceless' woman? Listen, _boy,_ and you listen good. This _thing,_ right 'ere?" He gestured towards the beaten up woman. "Is a monster. Deadlier than anything you've ever seen, I'd wager." He kicked her, none too lightly and spat down at her.

"A sea dweller. A filthy _mermaid"._

 _Mermaid?_

Her eyes widened as she looked down at the woman underneath the net- who was looking back at her through sharp eyes. Curious, bright yellow irises bore into hers, watching her every move.

Other than that, she couldn't see much, only the fact that the poor woman had taken quite a beating. It made Lena's blood boil.

 _Mermaid or not, I'll be damned if I don't do something to help her._

"Why don't you run along home, kid. Forget this ever happ-"

She swung her arm around and struck the man swiftly in the face, whacking him straight across the jaw with her wrench. Effectively cutting him off. A sickening _crunch_ rang loudly as it made contact. She was pretty sure that broke his jaw. He spun, falling forward and dropping to the ground. His dislocated jaw hanging wide open, his blood seeping into the sand. Completely knocked out.

 _Good._

She growled as she looked over the other two. If she wasn't so pissed off, she'd be quite amused at the sight before her. Both men were looking from her, to the unconscious figure on the floor, then to each other. The shock evident on their brutish features.

She twirled the wrench in her hand, a neat trick she'd learnt from Torbjörn. Lena only hoped it looked menacing. Not that she wasn't familiar with duels, Lena had her fair share of scraps in the past. This one however, she hoped to avoid. She made a mental note to ask Reinhardt for some lessons.

Lena straightened up, staring them down, defiantly. "Leave her alone. I won't ask twice."

As if awoken from a spell, the two grunts snapped out of it, advancing on her. Sighing mentally, she prepared herself for a fight. At least they didn't know about her chronal accelerator.

They circled her, arms outstretched menacingly. The short, bald one cracked his tattooed knuckles. The other grinned maliciously at her.

She blinked out of the way as both of them charged at the same time towards her, making them both look around in confusion as she appeared behind them. The look on their faces was priceless as she feigned boredom, picking at the peeling red paint on her wrench. The tattooed man lunged for her, his hands grasping at thin air as she blinked again, back into her last position. She took as many jabs with the wrench as she could, blinking around and hitting them in various places. Lena laughed before feeling a large pair of arms wrap around her, making her struggle in panic.

 _No!_

Lena kicked her legs out, hitting as many body shots she could. One of her kicks hit its mark, striking the man in the balls. He grunted in pain, releasing his tight hold enough for her to throw her head back, smashing him on the bridge of his nose. The weight on her middle disappeared instantly, dropping her on the ground as the man behind her howled. She looked behind her shoulder, noticing the blood gushing from his crushed nose, which now looked quite off center.

 _Think I improved it, really._

She rounded on the last guy, who had hurried to haul his friend to his feet. He looked ready to attack again before a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Fuckin' freak, he is!"

The behemoth of a man scowled at her, spitting out the blood that ran from his nose. Both men hastily moved over to the still unconscious body, the shortest picking him up in a fireman's lift.

"Let the blue bitch 'ave him!"

Backing away slowly, with their eyes still on her as the grunts hobbled further back. Once far enough, they turned and ran, leaving her alone.

… Or not so alone.

Her blood ran cold, suddenly remembering the reason why she tussled with them in the first place. She glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see the other figure still beneath the net.

… _Surprised she hasn't gut me yet, unless she's too weak to._

She was unsure of what to do. Sure, she fought off those men for this mysterious woman, but to actually engage her? Especially after what her captain had said?

" _Be on your guard at all times, I would hate to lose any of you to_ them _."_ His words still rang through her temple.

Lena sighed. The least she could do was see if she was alright though, right?

She made her way over slowly, measuring her steps. Afraid of startling the woman into attacking her. Her every step was watched, making her feel uneasy. Those eyes of hers were downright predatory, she looked ready to pounce on Lena. She was sure that the woman would, if she made any mistakes. About a metre away, she chose to speak up.

"You, uh… Alright, love?" She winced. Course she's not, idiot.

The look she received in return would have killed her, if looks could kill. The woman's eyes narrowed into sharp slits, her nostrils flared. She said nothing, not that Lena was expecting her to. Deciding to bite the bullet, she got closer and carefully dropped to her knees next to the other woman. She ran her fingers along the threads of the net, looking for an opening.

Lena kept her eyes on the mermaid, afraid that if she let her attention go elsewhere, she'd regret it. Always be aware of the predator, never show weakness.

 _What the hell am I doing? This is such a bad idea. Bad idea, bad idea, bad ide-_

"Are you just going to sit there staring?" Her voice held quite a husky, low purr. Her French accent noticeable, though she spoke in perfect English.

 _French? Really? Wasn't expecting that._

Lena raised an eyebrow. "I _am_ trying to help you, y'know." Looking her full in the face, she gave her a pointed look. "Sorry for not letting my guard down enough for you to shank me." She added sarcastically.

Searching for the net opening proved useless, she'd have to cut it open. Without thinking, she dug a hand into her overalls, pulling out a pocket knife. The blade sprang open at the flick of her wrist.

The blue woman tensed and hissed loudly at the sharp little knife in Lena's hand. Her own hands curling into claws, ready to wrap around the young sailor's throat.

"Whoa!" Lena dodged the swipe at her neck, scrambling out of harm's way. She caught the woman's eyes on her knife, realisation hitting her at what she'd just done.

"I didn't- I wasn't gonna-" her heart hammered in her chest. So the other woman wasn't as helpless as she originally thought… another reason why this was a bad idea.

"Do not think of me as so easily trusting, _chérie_." her honeyed words just a little _too_ sweet. Everything about this woman just _screamed_ dangerous.

"Give me your knife."

Lena gave her an incredulous look.

"You're 'aving a laugh, like I'd give you my only weapon!" She wanted to laugh. This woman seriously had the gall to make demands of her? "You can either let _me_ get you out, or I'm walking."

The mermaid chuckled, humorlessly. It sent shivers down Lena's spine.

"You won't leave, I know your type. The _hero_. You did _rescue_ me, after all." She was smirking slightly. Lena didn't even need to look at her to tell, she could hear the smug tone of her voice.

Lena sighed, running a frustrated hand through her hair, making it stand even more on end. The woman was right, scarily so. She'd just fought with three beefy blokes, not like she was gonna just up and leave. Barely any contact and the woman seemed to know her character.

"Fine. You just remember that I saved your arse, preferably _before_ you decide to do me in."

Instead of getting closer, Lena flicked the blade back under the safety lock before throwing it on the sand, next to the woman. She watched the woman take the pocket knife between her slender fingers. She flicked open the blade, copying Lena from earlier. The mermaid studied it, running a finger over the sharp edge, as if testing the sharpness.

Nodding to herself, she started to cut the threads of her prison.

Lena watched her, noticing that every now and then, the woman's gaze flicked to her before resuming her work. Lena had questions, and while she knew it was a long shot, it could be worth trying.

"So…" She shifted uncomfortably, the mermaid's gaze snapped to her. Lena cleared her throat. "How'd you get caught up in this mess anyway?"

The other woman studied her, her face unreadable. Lena was sure she was debating on whether to answer her or not. Then…

"That is neither your concern, or business."

Lena huffed out a small laugh. "Just trying to make conversation, love."

"Well don't. I prefer you _silencieux."_

She raised an eyebrow at that. This woman was a bit on the touchy side, wasn't she? Lena didn't know much French, but it wasn't hard to figure what she said. They resumed their silence, the only sounds were the foamy waves rushing over the shore, and the snapping of nylon strings.

.

So Widowmaker was fun to write, I'm actually preferring how I've written her in this one compared to my other story. Ah well, c'est la vie! Also if you're wondering, I didn't go into much detail on her appearance because Lena can't see much while she's underneath the net. Until the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Big thank you to you guys for reading this! Seriously, those reviews just make me squee. Always got the biggest grin on my face when I see them.

I'm still wondering on what she'll look like as a full mermaid. I've got a general idea, and she won't look like a simple mermaid with just a tail, because where would the fun be in that? Anyways, enjoy chapter 3!

...

Time seemed to take forever, or so Lena thought.

She'd been sat in the sand, waiting for God knows how long as the silence stretched, which wore away at her already thin patience. She occasionally slipped her hand underneath the cool, dry sand, letting the grains fall between her fingers as she lifted it back up.

The sun had began to set, leaving the beach swathed in a deep orange glow, with a shimmering reflection in the calm evening waves. The sound of sailors singing merrily behind her reached her ears. _Probably coming back from the pub,_ Lena thought wistfully.

Although she was bored, it didn't mean her attention was diverted from focusing on the danger in front of her, who was still cutting away at her bonds. Her eyes intently searched for any sudden changes to the French woman, whose gaze suddenly flicked forwards her.

The woman switched her attention to Lena, her eyebrow quirking. "You are still staring."

 _Course I'm bloody staring, you've got a sharp knife in your claws._

Lena narrowed her eyes. "I'm _observing_ actually. Against my better judgement, I just gave a mermaid a sharp object." She was already starting to regret that decision.

The woman tutted, holding the pocket knife up to the last dregs of sunlight; inspecting the design before looking back at Lena. "And what do you suspect I will do with it, hm?"

Lena scowled and sat up straighter. "Let's see, shall we?" She brought a hand up, ready to count off ideas.

"For starters, you could easily throw that knife my way, probably take out an eye. Or you could even embed it in my throat- OR, through my chest. All my vital organs are open to you." She rattled off the woman's options with her fingers. All the while, the other woman looked quite amused at her accusations.

"Actually y'know what? You probably don't even _need_ my knife. From all the stories I've heard, you're as deadly as all hell." Lena huffed, angrily.

That seemed to bring a slight smile to the other woman's lips. She slowly finished off cutting at the loose net strings. "I suppose I am, aren't I?"

She looked rather proud of herself. Lena scoffed.

Before she could retaliate with a comeback however, the netting sheet was lifted completely, revealing the stranger. Lena snapped her mouth shut immediately, her eyes going wide as she took in the figure before her.

Her eyes raked over the mermaid, taking in every little detail. She had the palest blue skin Lena had ever seen, almost periwinkle in colour. Deep purple hair pulled up into a neat, high ponytail, which draped over her one shoulder like silk. Her face slightly bruised and bloodied- yet still beautiful -held a pair of full, pouty lips, a small upturned nose and a jawline that could cut diamonds. Her sharp, dark eyebrows were arched perfectly over her golden cat-like eyes.

Lowering her eyes, Lena realised that she was without much clothing, the few pieces covering the woman's taut body were scraps of cloth, in an assortment of different sizes and colours. Lena's eyes darted all over, realising that both sides of the woman's waist were deeply ridged. _Gills maybe?_ Her clawed hands held small webs between the fingers.

She wasn't much special to look at, but Lena knew better. This wasn't her main form, the legs gave that away instantly. Lena wondered what she _really_ looked like.

The woman stood up gracefully, stretching her aching limbs, raising her strong arms above her head. In doing so, she showed off more of her lithe body. She was taller than Lena, about a head or so. Her carved legs were toned and long, the muscles in them apparent.

Without warning, she turned and headed towards the water, not looking back at Lena once.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Lena scrambled to her feet and sped forward, blinking towards the woman while still keeping a small distance between them. A good thing too, she still had Lena's knife clutched in her fist, which she pointed towards the young sailor in warning. With her own knife directed towards her face, Lena wasn't going to get much closer. She raised her hands up in a peaceful gesture. Before she could speak up, the other woman broke the silence.

"Do not follow me, _human_." She seethed, her gaze threatening. The hand clutching Lena's knife tightened around the handle, her knuckles turning white. Lena hadn't expected the woman to be her friend, though she had hoped for a somewhat peaceful truce. _Wishful thinking, clearly._

"You wouldn't kill me after I just saved your life, would you?"

She hoped to God that the woman would show her some gratitude. Even though the only stories Lena had heard about mermaids were unpleasant, she was sure there was something more. Something that the stories had missed. What reasons would a mermaid have for killing humans? Surely they didn't just do it for fun, right?

The blue skinned woman hesitated, now pointing the blade at Lena's chest. Her eyes were curious as she considered her choices. It was clear that the woman still didn't trust her, Lena wasn't surprised. Slowly, the mermaid lowered the blade, still keeping her eyes fixed on Lena. Her head cocked to the side.

"What do you want?"

Lena sighed in relief, lowering her hands to swing at her sides.

"Oh I don't know, a ' _thank-you_ ' would've been nice."

She received a sour look in return, as if the woman had eaten something unpleasant. She scowled and looked away. If Lena hadn't been listening for it, she would have missed the quiet " _merci"_ the woman gave her.

Lena almost snorted. So this woman was the proud type. "Didn't quite catch that, love."

The woman gave her a haughty look. "I will not repeat myself, _chérie."_

 _Alright, new tactic._

Her eyes flicked from the knife in the woman's hand, back to her face. "Can I have my pocket knife back then?"

The mermaid turned the blade over, her thumb skimming over the smooth hilt. She flicked the safety lock on but placed it in the pouch around her waist.

Lena's heart sank. Was she seriously not gonna give it back?

" _Non."_

"But I-!"

"I did not ask for your help."

Lena frowned. Asking for her knife had been asking for help, hadn't it? _Asked_ for probably wasn't the correct word, she more or less demanded it. "Well you clearly needed it."

The mermaid wrinkled her nose.

"I had it under control."

Lena barked out a laugh. "Yeah, right! You were getting beaten to a pulp before I intervened." She crossed her arms. "And here I thought _your_ kind were the dangerous ones."

The first thing she noticed was how the other woman's cat-like eyes narrowed dangerously at her words. Her pupils constricted into tiny slits. She bristled, a low growl seemed to emit from her throat. Her hands curled into fists.

" _My_ kind?" her voice had turned dangerously low.

… _Oh no. Why'd I have to open my gob?_

"Do not talk to me about dangers you do not understand, _human._ " The woman's voice no longer sounded honeyed. A harsh gravelly tone took its place, with her accent thicker than before. "It is _your_ kind that kill _mine_. _Your_ kind that pollute our home. _Your_ kind that hunt ours to extinction!" She snapped angrily, her pearly white teeth bared.

Lena just stood there in shock, gaping at the other woman as she turned on her heel and ran. For someone who normally had a tail, she was pretty well coordinated and swift with her legs. She contemplated running after the mystery woman, and she would have, if she hadn't heard the loud telltale splash behind the cabin.

She peeked behind the wooden structure and sure enough, the mermaid was nowhere to be seen. Large ripples in the water were the only clue left behind.

 _Guess she's gone… well, there goes_ that _plan._

Lena sighed, rubbing a hand over her tired face. She looked out over the horizon, hoping to see a tail but instead, she saw nothing. She turned and made her way back towards the town, grabbing her shoes and socks off the sand as she went and bending down to put them on quickly.

Her mind raced as she strolled. The past couple of hours had been a weird few to say the least. She'd met a mermaid and lived to tell the tale, and it was something she still didn't believe. Whether she _would_ tell it however, she wasn't sure. Lena couldn't put a finger on how she felt, as if what had happened hadn't quite sunk in yet.

Lena wondered if she'd ever see the mermaid again, and if so, when, where and how? The sea is a vast body of water and she was sure there were plenty of mermaids out there. How would she ever find the right one?

More importantly if she _did_ decide to tell her tale, how would Reinhardt take it? Angela? Torb? What if they banned her from the beach?

Lena frowned. No… She was pretty sure she knew her Captain enough to know that he'd be proud of her, proud that she hadn't succumbed to a mermaid's charm. Angela on the other hand… would definitely be worried sick. Her heart clenched. _Poor Angela,_ she thought. She often felt the ship's medic was like a second mother to her.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she drew closer to the stalls that no longer held all the trinkets and food from before. The music could still be heard from a short distance away, outside a cosy looking cottage pub with a dark green sign that read ' _The Hog's Head'_ in fancy white writing **.** The few people she'd heard singing earlier were still outside with their arms around each other's shoulders, struggling to stay upright in their drunken stupor and still singing.

She peered through the misted window, trying to get a good look of what it was like inside, but to no avail. The windows were too grimy but from what she _could_ see, it didn't look too busy or rowdy.

… _Maybe one drink couldn't hurt-_

"Lena? Is that you?"

Lena's ears perked up and a smile lit up her face. She knew that voice!

Whirling around, she was greeted by the familiar face of her old friend, Winston. Her cheeks ached from the huge grin she was giving. She was surprised to see him here, last she saw him was over in Gibraltar a few months ago. Lena felt like it'd been _ages_ since she last saw him, though the gorilla looked exactly the same as when she left him. He peered down at her through his black framed glasses, a small smile touched his lips.

"Winston!" She let out a small laugh, jumping onto one of his beefy arms and hugging it to her chest briefly before letting go. "You're a sight for sore eyes!"

"Hullo, Lena," He took off his glasses, breathing on the lenses and wiping them on his lab coat before adjusting them back over his large nose. He squinted at her. "you look… different." Winston took in her short spiky hair and overalls, giving her a questioning look.

"I… it's a long story, love." Lena rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She gestured in front of her, forwards the pub doors. "Shall we?"

Winston nodded before leading the way, walking through the wooden doors before holding them open for Lena to follow.

The inside of the pub was dimly lit by the soft yellow lamps which decorated each small table, and from the rafters above. Framed paintings and an assortment of drinking glasses hung from the dark green wall-papered walls, giving off a cosy feel. The dark wooden bar held a wide variety of spirits and ale, both on the shelves and the counter. She could see the walls behind the bar were pinned with old photos- some black and white while others looked more recent -and a bottle cap collection, each one with a different design and logo. At the back she could see a small stage with a band of sailors playing the music she'd heard from before, the sound of a fiddle, harmonica and an accordion reached her ears. Lena breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of damp wood and beer. Not quite like her old watering hole in London, but it felt just as homely all the same.

Walking over to the bar, she ordered two pints and a packet of pork scratchings from the omnic barman before leaning back on her elbows and settling against the counter, facing her friend.

She gave him a wide smile. "I didn't expect to see you here, big guy. It's been forever! You here for business or pleasure?"

He chuckled lowly. "Business I'm afraid. I'm searching here for a doctor by the name of Angela Ziegler. I was told she would be in town for the next couple of days."

"Angie? We're on the same ship. What do you need her for?"

"Ah, I was told her research on nanobiology has made a massive breakthrough. She's improved the treatment for many known illnesses and I hoped to share my own knowledge. Nanotech is a big thing, Lena! Not to say she _needs_ my help, however." He added quickly.

Lena smiled. Winston always did love everything to do with science, she could see how excited he was at the prospect of gaining new knowledge. He even helped her build the chronal accelerator, contributing to the scientific parts while she blueprinted the design and creation.

Their drinks were placed neatly on the counter. Lena thanked the barman, offering him a handful of silver coins and her thanks before grabbing both drinks and her snack. She set them on the nearest table, making sure to use the beer mats provided. As they both took their seats, Winston glanced at her curiously.

"Enough about me, Lena. Whatever happened to you?"

Lena fidgeted on her rickety wooden stool, her knees bouncing on the frame. She wasn't sure how to approach this territory. Even though she trusted Winston, she found the recent changes in her life difficult to explain. She took a large sip of her pint, wrinkling her nose at the first taste and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

She placed the glass back on the table and cleared her throat. "Well, funny story actually… would you believe it if I said I was posing as a bloke, just to be accepted by my crew members?"

Winston frowned. "But you said Dr. Ziegler-"

"Yep, she's on the ship." Lena sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I didn't know the crew were as friendly… you remember the letter I sent you about the last lot, yeah?" Winston nodded, waiting for her to continue.

She wrapped her arms around herself. "I just thought they'd be the same, y'know? It's a mess, Winston!"

"Lena… you could just tell them the truth."

She scoffed, "And you think that'd work? I've been lying to them for weeks. What if they won't trust me? What if they kick me off the ship? What if-"

Lena found she couldn't speak, realising one of Winston's large hands had covered her mouth, effectively shutting her up. She huffed in annoyance, jerking her face away.

He took his chance at her silence. "And what if they _do_ accept you, hm?"

"You don't know that…"

Winston shrugged, "It's worth a try, isn't it? I would do it sooner rather than later if I were you. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be. "

Lena hated the fact that he was right, it _would_ get harder the longer she left it. But how the hell would she bring up that sort of conversation? It wasn't something you could just bring up lightly. She had some thinking to do.

.

After finishing their drinks, the two made their way to the harbour, back towards _The Bastion._ The sun had long been set, enveloping the deserted huts and shacks in darkness, save for the bright white light from the moon. Torches were scattered along the sea front, offering a guiding light to any who walked the path. The cool night air that touched Lena's face was refreshing, a nice change from the stuffiness of the pub. Her nerves had at least cooled off from the alcohol in her system, giving her a slight buzz.

They walked in a comfortable silence, Lena listening to the heavy footfalls of Winston's bare soles as well as the quiet taps of her own boots against the wooden platform.

As they walked over the ship's threshold, Lena was immediately bowled over and squeezed by a familiar pair of arms. She yelped, almost loosing her footing and grabbing at the slightly taller figure now clinging to her. Her vision completely taken over by a mass of wavy, light blonde hair.

"Leo, where have you been?! We were worried sick!"

She glanced at Winston, noticing the frown on his face at the name she was called. Lena mouthed a quick ' _just play along'_ before turning her attention back to the medic.

She felt Angela checking her all over for any injuries, looking for scrapes or grazes. The doctor held both of her cheeks in each hand as her eyes raked over her face.

This was the norm, Angela checking up on her. Being an engineer had its dangerous moments, especially when working with machinery. Sometimes she would stubbornly try to hide her injuries, much to Angela's dismay. At the end of the day it was a win-win really, Lena got medical attention and Angela- no matter how much she pleaded with her to be more careful -enjoyed the company and practice.

"Angie, I'm fine! Look at me, I'm fine!" Lena gently peeled Angela's hands from her face. The doctor cared a lot about Lena, perhaps _too_ much but it was welcome.

Angela wrinkled her nose, smelling the alcohol on Lena's breath. " _Mein_ _gott_ , you were missing all day. You had me worrying and all this time, you've been at the _bar?"_

"No I- Ange, please, I can explain!"

The doctor held a hand up, cutting her off from explaining any further. The doctor gave her a stern frown, something Lena often received from her for not being careful.

"It's late. Don't think you are off the hook, I still expect a full explanation tomorrow."

Lena tilted her head down and nodded. She noticed how tired Angela looked and the guilt she felt immediately took over. She stayed awake just to wait for her to come back it seemed, the doctor's eyes had started to droop heavily.

The doctor must have took pity on her as Lena felt a soft hand ruffle though her hair before a quick kiss landed on her forehead. She looked up to see the frown on Angela's face had softened. The blonde never could stay annoyed with Lena for long.

 _Unless she's just knackered…_

Before walking away, Angela sighed. "I'm glad you are safe, _Süße."_

She turned and headed towards the far side of the ship. Lena watched the doctor make her way down the stairs towards her own quarters. She smiled, still feeling warm from where Angela kissed her forehead. Tomorrow she'd do everything she could to make it up to the doctor.

Winston cleared his throat behind her, making her jump. She'd forgotten that he was there for a second, Anglea had been solely focused on Lena, not even realising there was a 6 foot gorilla next to her.

 _Yep, she was definitely knackered._

He adjusted his glasses and glanced down at her. "So _that_ was Dr. Ziegler? She seems to care a great deal for you, Lena."

Lena smiled fondly, looking over her shoulder at the door Angela had disappeared through. "She really does." She gave Winston an apologetic look. "Sorry, love… I'll introduce you tomorrow, yeah?" She felt bad for dragging Winston along with her. It _was_ late though, she supposed.

After saying their goodbyes and a promise to talk more tomorrow, Lena waved to Winston until the darkness of the night engulfed his hulking figure. Lena let out a long sigh of relief, glad that the day was finally over. She stifled a yawn and started making her own way down to the lower decks, deciding it'd be best to follow suit with Angela and get to bed.

...

This was a fun chapter to write, so far I'm enjoying writing Widowmaker _a lot._ I'm not 100% sure about the ending, honestly I struggled to end this chapter at an appropriate moment. It's a bit longer than the other chapters I've done so far. Hope you enjoyed! I appreciate any reviews and follows!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey there friends! This chapter is for all those Mercy lovers out there, you get a nice chap with Angela. It's shorter than the rest but the next one'll be a bit longer probably... shame you'll have to wait, I'll be moving house next weekend *cackles*

Also I'm pretty sure you've all seen the new Sombra intro and holy shit does she look gay. and Widowmaker... I almost died when watching. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

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The next morning, Lena found herself sitting on one of two chairs in Angela's medic quarters. It was a lot more spacious than her own room, the doctor also had more windows lining the walls, bathing all her medical equipment in gold light and making them shine brightly. The walls were decorated with posters, showing anatomy, eye test charts and diagrams inside the human body. Angela also had a hobby of collecting various skulls- some intact while others sported cracks or missing teeth -to line her glass cabinet on the wall. Lena wasn't one to question _that_ particular perk of hers, she just supposed Angela was fascinated by them. In the middle of the room was her station, the -thankfully empty- operating table and wheeled, steel side table took up most of the room. At the back behind a draped doorway, a much smaller room would be found which was Angela's own private space.

The medical supplies Lena had bought for her yesterday lay neatly on top of the side table. She'd used them as a sort of peace offering on her arrival.

"Run it by me again, one more time?"

Lena groaned, _Here we go again,_ she thought.

She'd been through this with Angela about three times already this morning, deciding on telling her the whole truth about where she was the day before. Each time she'd told her the story, Angela's face would become more and more incredulous, enough that she'd started wishing she hadn't got into the story at all.

"Ange, I've told you _three_ times already _._ Is it that good or are you trying to see if I'll slip up?"

The doctor sat opposite her in the other identical spare chair, mulling over Lena's words; same as ever in her white button down shirt and black slacks. A clean white lab coat hung from her slim frame, her hair tied up in its usual style. She looked thoughtful, a small frown line appeared on her forehead.

"I'm trying to process what you told me. It is… unexpected."

Course it wasn't expected, she'd probably expected Lena to come out and say that she _had_ spent the entire day at the pub. Lena only wished she could've caught Angela's face on a camera, her expression had been absolutely _priceless._

"Did you not listen to what Reinhardt said to us yesterday morning?"

Lena frowned. Did Angela seriously think she'd set out to actually look for a danger? Wasn't her fault if the danger found _her._ What she saw was a woman who needed help, it just so happened that she was the only one there to provide it.

She wasn't about to let Angela think otherwise.

"Course I did, but I wasn't gonna just stand by and let her get beat up!" Lena leant forward in her chair, leaning her elbows against her knees and linking her fingers together in front of her. "I heard her screaming, Ange… don't tell me you wouldn't have helped. Isn't that what being a doctor is all about? Helping people?"

Angela's features softened slightly, "But a _sea witch_ , Leo? You couldn't have picked a less dangerous patient?"

Lena looked at her skeptically. "Ain't all patients a priority?"

Angela frowned. Of course she helped all those who needed it, but to engage a mermaid? She wasn't stupid enough to try.

To this day, there hadn't been any scripts on mermaids. No readings about them, nothing. Zilch. Angela would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little bit curious of the engineer's run in, any new species always fascinated the doctor. There was a reason why there was only a slim amount of information on them however... Any who had tried hadn't lived long enough to share it.

And yet… this young kid in front of her had done it. Unknowingly, the engineer had achieved what was thought to be impossible.

Lena sighed, bringing Angela's attention back to her. "Look, Angie, I'm not gonna deny it was dangerous alright?" She looked down at her feet, scuffing the boots against each other. "I'm just saying I couldn't live with myself if I'd just left her."

A small silence followed, and then...

"Do you think she will seek you out?"

Lena opened her mouth to answer, frowned, then shut it soon after. She'd already thought about this the night before, the reason why she had been so knackered that morning. She wondered if the next time -if there _was_ a next time- she crossed paths with the mysterious woman, would it be her death sentence? Judging from their last engagement, she'd already gathered that the mermaid was mistrustful of humans. The woman was suspicious enough about Lena's motives, which now she thought about it, she wasn't so surprised. Lena was probably the first human who had ever helped her.

She knew it wouldn't be enough to convince the mermaid that humans weren't _all_ bad, but it could be a start, right?

Realising she'd got caught up in her thoughts, Lena quickly shook her head. "Nah, she didn't seem too interested in me t'be honest…"

Which was true, she wasn't. She remembered how the woman had started to walk away from her as soon as she cut herself loose from the fishing net. She hadn't even spared Lena a backwards glance until Lena had sped up to her, thinking her a threat.

That thought made her pause.

The many stories surrounding mermaids were horror filled; always told of them being dangerous, drowning humans that got too close. If that was the case, why hadn't this one tried to kill her? It didn't make any sense.

Apparently, Angela had the same string of thoughts, regarding Lena with a thoughtful expression. "It's a little odd, isn't it?"

"Depends how you look at it, love."

Angela quirked an eyebrow, "And how are you looking at it?"

She took a moment to think. Lena was usually the one to think outside the box, never wondering the obvious. Always with her head in the clouds, it kept her busy. It was part of the reason she got along with Winston so well, she'd helped him out a few times with her own tinkering ideas.

"I reckon we've got it all wrong. We don't know anything about them, we might'a misunderstood."

Angela scoffed softly, obviously not believing what she'd just heard. Lena rolled her eyes.

"Just… hear me out, yeah?"

She slapped her hands on her knees to push herself up from the chair and started pacing around the room, back and forth in front of the doctor, looking around the room but at nothing in particular.

"Right, so she mentioned- or wait, no… She _shouted_ at me more like, that us lot are at fault for a bunch of things," She continued pacing, coming to a stop directly in front of Angela; her forefinger and thumb resting against her lips. "She didn't go on much, but she went on about how we're the ones killing _her_ species, and polluting the sea by the sound of it."

Lena frowned to herself, thinking back to the beach. Her brow creased slightly. "She said, and I quote, ' _Your kind that pollute our home. Your kind that hunt ours to extinction_ '." Lena did her best at attempting to imitate a French accent. With some amusement, Angela had to hand it to the boy, his imitation wasn't half bad; most traces of the cockney accent lost under the thick French one.

The engineer grunted. A whirlwind of ideas and theories filtered through her brain.

 _I wonder..._

There was nothing that said a mermaid had snatched any victims that _hadn't_ been in connection to fishing companies. Whether it be because they were an easy target or because there was some truth to what the woman had told her, Lena wasn't sure. The blue woman claimed humans polluted the sea, which she wouldn't be surprised if it were true. Oil slicks were a common reoccurrence and rubbish often thrown on the beach would get washed away with the next tide.

 _No wonder they don't trust us..._

Fishermen and their companies seemed to be the big problem for the sea witches, and with good reason, Lena thought. If it were true, these businesses were making life a living hell for the sea life. Fishermen or sailors were their targets, so that would mean-

"Leo?" Angela's snapped her fingers in front of Lena's face, bringing her back to the present.

Lena jerked out of her thoughts, not realising how long she'd left the doctor waiting. "Sorry, love… got lost in thought." She mumbled quietly, her mind still elsewhere.

"Something enlightening, I hope?"

Lena snorted. "All depends if I'm right," She took a deep breath before exhaling in a short puff of air. "I've got a theory."

Angela smiled. "When have you not?"

She rolled her eyes. "Hush, you! For once I'm actually being _serious_. Mark it in your diary 'cause it ain't happening often." That made the doctor laugh and in turn, making Lena crack a small smile, despite trying to keep a straight face.

After Angela's laughter had died down, Lena started with her questioning. "I was wondering about the victims of the attacks, I don't remember there being anyone who _wasn't_ somehow linked to a fishing firm."

Angela thought for a moment before nodding. "You are not wrong, I have tended to several of the luckier victim's wounds myself. It is mostly fishermen that came to me."

 _Ding ding! We have a winner!_ Lena thought triumphantly.

"Exactly, which leads me to my theory… What if- and I'm speaking hypothetically of course- the sea dwellers are just protecting themselves?" She gave a small shrug, "Makes sense when you think about it. Sounds like they're pissed off with fishermen and with good reason, the bloody plonkers are ruining the sea with their rubbish."

Angela was silent as she let that idea sink in.

Could it be possible, what the engineer believed? The doctor's mind raced. If it were true, and these creatures were only protecting themselves, that would mean the stories revolving around them were false, to some extent. Of course that didn't mean they _weren't_ dangerous, however.

Which meant...

Angela's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the boy in front of her. Surely he wasn't thinking...

"Leo, please don't tell me-"

"Come on, doc! Don't you want some better info?" Lena's expression was desperate as well as hopeful as she knelt down next to the sitting doctor, looking up at her. "I'm just as curious as you are!"

Of course Angela wanted more data on mermaids, she was hungry for new knowledge… but putting their ship's engineer in danger was out of the question.

"It's too dangerous! We don't even know-"

Lena rolled her eyes and cut her off. "We don't, but I'm up for finding out!" She felt excited at the prospect of getting to the bottom of this whole affair, something action packed, a little adventure to spice up her day to day life. Not that she didn't enjoy being the ship's engineer, just a bit of change would be welcome. "I reckon I've got a good shot at this, Ange. If I don't, who will?"

True. If Leo didn't take this opportunity, neither of them would get the intel they both desired. Angela's thoughts nagged at her. _Is it worth it?_ She looked down at the engineer in front of her, the poor boy was so _young…_ if anything happened to him, it would be on her head.

Angela's face contorted into a worrying look. "I don't like this…"

"Ange, when have I ever backed down from a challenge?" She gave the doctor what she hoped was her most charming smile. "Plus, I've got my recall if things get ugly."

True, she'd managed to get out of all kinds of different scrapes, all thanks to the glowing blue device that was built into her chest.

The doctor frowned. "You are willing to put yourself in danger, just on the off chance that you get answers?"

"That, and I'm well up for a bit of adventure!" Lena grinned up at her, eye crinkled at the corners. "She didn't attack me, Ange, I'm pretty confident."

"How can you be sure she didn't attack because she wasn't strong enough?"

She'd already thought about that, though judging from how the woman had taken a surprisingly quick swipe at her -which she neglected to tell Angela- she was inclined to believe that her weakness was all an act. "Trust me, she was fine. Mermaids are tough creatures, reckon it'd take a bit more than some goons to combat her strength."

Angela looked at her skeptically. "Let's say you succeed… then what are you planning to do? Win her over with your… _charming_ personality?"

Lena pouted at the doctor's quip, rising from her kneeling position and crossing her arms. "I'll have you know I'm as charming as ever, she won't know what hit her!"

"You'll want to hope she doesn't hit _you,_ Leo."

Lena's determination didn't waver as she raised both hands up to jerk her thumbs towards her own face. "Who would hit _this_ face?" a playful grin lit up her features. "Before you say anything, that was a rhetorical question. Don't even think about it, doc."


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the long wait with this chapter, moving house was a pain in the arse. I had to cut this chapter down because it'd be too long with what I originally planned for it, but I _am_ writing the next chapter already so hopefully you guys won't have to wait so long this time. Hope you enjoy!

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Over the next few days, Lena could just _feel_ the eyes of the whole crew following her every move. Of course the word had somehow got out that she'd talked to a mermaid, whether she'd been seen or one of the sailors had overheard her conversation with Angela, she wasn't sure. She did trust that Angela wouldn't have let slip, however, without needing to ask the doctor.

At first it made her feel uncomfortable; the constant gawking and hushed whispers as she passed by on the top deck, as if they thought she couldn't hear it. Lena prided herself on being pretty confident, but knowing that her every move was constantly being scrutinised made her doubt. She'd further tightened her binding wrap since the gossip leak, hoping that it hid her well enough.

As she'd guessed, Reinhardt had been ecstatic. He'd clapped her on the back proudly and offered to give her more fighting lessons, just in case the sea witch came back for him. A small smile touched her lips as she thought back to their short conversation the day before…

 _She felt a large, bear-like hand almost shove her forwards as a deep, booming laugh filled the quarters._ " _That's my boy, Leo! Did you give her the old 'one-two'?"_

" _Actually-"_

" _HARHAR, of course you did!"_

He'd pressed her for more on her tale, wanting to know the details on how she'd 'escaped' the mermaid's clutches. Lena had to snort at that. It seemed the story had expanded into a load of gobshite, now bordering on farfetched and exaggerated. Even after telling Reinhardt how it had actually played out- without including the little chat she'd had- the captain still insisted that she was being modest.

Both she and Angela had decided against telling Reinhardt about Lena's theory, at least until she had herself some hard proof to prove her claim. She didn't like holding secrets, but Lena could think of nothing worse that confiding in him, only to be proven wrong. Angela on the other hand had somewhat believed her to some extent, or at least she _wanted_ to believe. She knew the doctor trusted her enough not to take advantage of that.

Lena felt her shoulders sag in shame at the thought of Angela's trust, the guilt weighing down on her like a sack of bricks. Least of all Lena wanted to do was to disappoint her. She hoped it'd stay that way _after_ she revealed herself.

She recalled what Winston had said a few nights ago at the pub, and he was right. The longer she left it, the harder it would be. She sighed, thunking her head back against the mast.

The whispering had died down a touch, bringing her out of her cabin- or _cave_ as she preferred to call it. She found herself sitting on the top deck, watching the crew bustle about with their chores as she sat elevated on a heavy crate; her legs swinging back and forth and her fingers tapping impatiently against the wooden box to a silent beat.

She waited for Angela to join her for the next trip into town. Since Lena had neglected her previous list of items to trade for, Angela was being sent to keep an eye on her as well as help. Though whatever the doctor was doing, she was taking her sweet time.

Lena looked around, taking in her surroundings. Despite the usual sunny weather in Ilios, it was a pretty overcast day. The sort of weather which would appear normal back at London. The sky was dotted with smoky grey clouds and the wind howled against the rocking ship; the sea roiling roughly against sides and the mast behind her creaked and shuddered. Only thing missing would be the rain, Lena mused.

 _Finally,_ Angela appeared through the double doors of the captain's quarters. Lena took in the other woman's appearance. The doctor's usual white lab coat was gone, revealing a smartly ironed, ruffled white blouse and a navy buttoned up waistcoat in its place. Even her black boots were shinier. Her hair also looked tidier, not a misplaced strand to be found. Her eyes appeared less tired, instead, her face was almost _glowing_ ; the black bags underneath her eyes a few nights ago had completely disappeared, taken up by a bright eyed gaze and a light smile.

Lena gawked at her in awe. Funny how the doctor could go from looking like a zombie without caffeine, to looking like a bloody serene angel. Give her a halo and she'd look exactly that.

 _How the hell does she manage that…?_

Angela made her way over with a small wave, her boots tread lightly over the smooth wooden deck. "Ready to go, Leo?"

"Took you long enough!" Lena planted both hands on the crate, using her upper body strength to push her weight and leap from the crate she sat on, promptly landing in front of the blonde doctor without even a wobble. "You scrub up pretty well mind, trying to impress someone?"

Angela snorted softly. "Hardly. My work is my only focus, you know that."

"Oh, Angie… we need to get you out more."

Angela's eyes rolled as she stepped off the ship, beckoning Lena to follow her. "Come on, before the Amari's close for the day."

Lena hurried forward, falling into step alongside the other woman as they crossed the wooden planks of the platform, which the ship was docked next to.

Today, Reinhardt had given them the address of the local smithy, hopeful that with Angela joining Lena on her daily job, they'd actually manage to get what he'd asked for. He was far from annoyed at Lena, however the crew desperately needed the shipment of weapons they had ordered since arriving at Ilios.

They didn't talk much, save for some idle chit chat. Both women walked in a comfortable silence as they made their way through the quaint little town, strolling through the food stalls- with Angela having to literally _drag_ Lena away from- until they found a building up ahead with a small, hanging white sign in the shape of a shield, featuring a painted black anvil with a hammer. The words 'Amari's Blacksmith' were written below it in black writing.

Lena looked down at the yellow slip of parchment she held, holding the address to their destination, then back up at the sign. She glanced at Angela. "Looks like the right place, eh?"

The doctor nodded, reaching a hand past Lena to wrap her slender fingers around the brass hoop, lifting the knocker before pushing it back down. She knocked three times, each one a hollow echo as the knocker slammed against its screwed down plate.

A few metallic clangs and a muffled curse could be heard through the wooden door, which suddenly swung open to reveal a tall, dark skinned woman.

She looked to be in her 30's; dark, piercing brown eyes swept over the both of them and full lips slid into a frown. Her dark shoulder length hair that framed her pretty face was adorned with braids, held together by several golden beads. Her attire consisted of a dark grey vest which clung to her muscled shoulders and front, black capri pants hugged her hips and black buckled shoes covered her feet. She appeared to be nursing her hand, the fingers now turning an angry shade of red. Something which Angela took quick notice of, her eyes narrowed.

The woman in the doorway cleared her throat, hiding her injured hand behind her back once she saw Angela frowning at it. "Can I help you?" a pleasingly smooth Arabian accent greeted both their ears.

"G'morning, love! Got a order for a Mr. Wilhelm?"

Reaching into her jacket pocket, Lena fished around for the order receipt before handing it over to the Egyptian woman. She looked over it, checking the name and order content.

The young Amari nodded once, remembering last week's order before addressing Lena. "Ah, Reinhardt?"

"That's the one!"

The woman smiled, making her seem a lot less intimidating. She held the door open for the two to join her over the threshold. "Come, my mother is just finishing his request."

The smithy was quite dark, save for a few candle brackets which decorated each wall, giving off a cosy glow. It was swelteringly hot inside, the steam rose from the hot coals which resided inside the large furnace pit covering the middle of the room. Weapons and tools hung from the walls and lay across most surfaces, giving off an overall messy look. Behind the counter sat a bookcase with a small collection of books, including a few mechanic favourites that Lena knew the names of. Plans and orders littered the workbench next to them.

Angela sidled up to the taller woman, while Lena stepped up to the bookcase, thumbing through the books on the shelves. "Ana is your mother?" Angela asked, earning a nod from the blacksmith. "You must be Fareeha, yes?"

"And _you_ must be Dr. Ziegler, am I correct?" at Angela's questioning look, she added quickly, "My mother spoke of you."

"Reinhardt spoke of _you_. Seems to think of you as a master craftswoman." Angela smiled at the slight awkward look on Fareeha's face she got in return, as well as a mumbled "Old man exaggerates…" under the woman's breath.

The doctor huffed out a short laugh. "He trusts no-one else to craft his weapon orders, you _must_ be rather good at what you do." And at that, the tanned woman smiled.

Angela's eyes scanned over the messy work surface and anvil to her left, the woman's latest project catching her eye; an impressively balanced steel sword with encrusted gold filigree swirls laid into the handle. A small iron hammer lay next to it. The doctor frowned, suddenly remembering the yelp from behind the door earlier. She looked down again at the young Amari's hand- which she continued to try and hide behind her back. Before Angela could say anything, the woman shrugged it off. "It's just a scratch."

Angela eyes narrowed as she grabbed the woman's arm, taking her hand in her own to bring it closer to inspect. She took in the state of the blacksmith's injured hand; the flesh looked battered and bruised, purple-black blotches marred the surface. "A _scratch._ Your hand is turning purple, Fareeha."

"It's _fine."_

"I'm patching you up."

Fareeha winced as she tried to pull her hand out of Angela's grasp. "No, I-"

 _This woman is so stubborn!_ Angela only gripped her wrist harder, but not enough to further injure Fareeha's hand as she dragged the woman over to the bench beside the desk, pulling out a small medipack she usually kept in her satchel. "Doctor's orders! I _insist."_

All the while, Lena just watched from behind, amused as the blacksmith sat down grumpily with a small scowl. She knew there was no point in resisting Angela, she'd already been down that route with her own injuries. Trying to hide them never got past the doctor, Lena found that out long ago. Smiling to herself, she focused her attention back to the bookcase, just in time as a familiar blue blur dashed passed the window beside it. Her eyes widened.

She jumped to the window, both hands and nose pressed firmly up against the gritty surface. Her breath clouded the glass pain as she craned her neck each way to see either side of the alleyway.

 _Surely it couldn't be…?_

Lena glanced back over at the other two. Now the blacksmith was pointedly staring at the opposite wall, too embarrassed to look at Angela or what she was doing. The doctor had taken her hand and started kneading and prodding the palm and knuckles, trying to gauge a reaction from the other woman, but to no avail. Fareeha was determined to keep a straight face by the looks of it. Even though Lena couldn't see the woman's face, Angela's expression was clearly irritated at the lack of reactions.

Slowly and as quietly as she could manage, Lena skirted the wall; keeping her eye on the two woman in front of her as she scooted her way closer to the door with her back flush against the wall, hoping not to step on any creaky floorboards as she did so. Her heart hammered, beating loudly against her chest; so much so that she worried it would be heard from across the room. To her relief, neither woman paid any attention to the suspicious looking engineer trying to be stealthy as she reached the door. Still with her eyes on the women in front of her, she blindly reached around behind her for the door handle.

"You have my thanks, Dr. Ziegler…"

"Please, call me Angela."

Panic filled Lena like air in a balloon. Angela would almost be done and she'd never let Lena go out by herself after last time. This was her only chance. She took a quick frantic look behind her to find the iron doorknob, reaching for it to yank open the door quickly and quietly before slipping through the crack, promptly pushing and clicking it shut behind her.

Cold air blew across her red flushed cheeks as she stepped outside, leaning against the door behind her as she let out a relieved sigh. Lena hadn't realised how hot the smithy had been, the fresh air being a welcome change.

She looked around, looking for any sign of a familiar blue skinned figure through the busy crowds at the food stalls. She frowned, her eyes scanning the street around her. Would the woman be foolish enough to try and blend with that crowd? Probably not. It was more likely that she would keep to the shadows, on the very edges of town, in alleyways maybe? Lena hoped she was right as she pushed herself off the door, making her way down the closest one to the left of the smithy.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, writer's block is a bitch. Plus Overwatch distractions. SO WHO'S SEEN THE NEWEST COMIC? Because holy shit I've been constantly happy since it was released.

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Lena crouched low, letting her hands graze against the solid brick wall that she skirted as she made her way down the side alley. She manoeuvred her way in between the soggy cardboard boxes and old tin dustbins that decorated the dodgy looking lane, her boots crunching over broken glass and rustling against dirty old papers that littered the floor.

It was quiet, apart from the broken shards of glass that her boots scraped across. _Too_ _quiet_. Her senses heightened and her heart hammered in her chest, like a hummingbird that itched to get out of it's cage. Every little noise that disrupted the silence had her on edge, even the scampering of vermin behind the bins.

In the past five minutes, Lena had gone over how much of a bad idea this was at least a hundred times already. Seeking out a mermaid, really? Only fools and poachers would do that, and half the time it wasn't a success.

The things she would do for Angela and her _science_.

 _And my own curiosity._

The engineer sighed to herself, shaking that thought away before pushing on. She became disappointed as she reached the end of the grubby alley, not finding even a tiny trace of the blue blur she saw in the window before. She slumped against the wall, already making the decision to turn back the way she came. Maybe Angela hadn't noticed her disappearance yet, too taken by the young blacksmith to realise.

That's when she heard it.

Lena came to a halt mid step, freezing in her tracks. She heard a eerie, but oddly calming sort of noise; like softly chiming bells and mellow violin tones.

Is that... _singing?_

It was faint but not too far away, and definitely not _human_ singing. Lena grinned, following the sound back through the narrow lane. Maybe this wasn't such a lost cause after all?

After reaching the end, Lena came up behind a large factory firm that she recognised. The rusted walls had seen better days and the paint job could use some work but despite that, the fishing company was one of the more popular ones. She carefully peeked around the corner of the right side of the tall building, finding immediately where the sweet dulcet tones were coming from.

There she was, crouched behind a stack of barrels was the mermaid that she'd met not a few days ago; looking the same as she had before, albeit less bloody and bruised. Lena watched as the other woman sang, finding it to be quite enthralling. That was, until she saw what the singing was _doing._

She looked past the mermaid and over the piles of shipment boxes to see a few of the workers slumping to the ground, crumpling into unconscious heaps as they listened to the eerie music. A small gasp left her parted lips before she could stop herself.

The singing stopped abruptly, the mermaid's head whipping around at the sound of Lena's short gasp, her ears sensitive to every little noise as her narrowed eyes scanned the area. Lena slapped a hand over her own mouth; quickly retreating back around the corner, sticking her back firmly against the wall.

 _Bollocks!_

Lena waited with bated breath as she heard slow, quiet footsteps approaching her hiding place. Fear prickled at the back of her neck. Now she'd done it, now she was done for-

Before she could worry any more about the situation, sharp fingers curled around her collar, yanking her forward and around the corner before slamming her back hard up against the wall. She tried to yelp, quickly finding another hand firmly pressed against her mouth, effectively cutting her off and muffling any noises. Her own fingers wrapped around cool, slender blue wrists. She looked up to find a pair of golden, catlike eyes boring into her own as the taller figure loomed over her.

The sudden look of recognition passed over the taller woman's face as her eyes flicked over the face of her captive. Her eyes narrowed further, grip tightening around the jacket collar. She lifted the shorter woman a few inches off the ground. " _You."_

Lena flinched, trying her best to resist the urge to recall out of the woman's hold. The woman had seen her recall back on the beach but that didn't mean she knew any more about it. No, Lena needed the mermaid to _trust_ her, and recalling would ruin that chance. Let her think _she_ has the upper hand. It was quite ballsy, not to mention daring, but Lena had always loved a bit of danger with her adventures; like a spice added to a bland meal.

She couldn't answer with the hand still covering her lips, so she mumbled out a muffled "mhm" behind the woman's blue palm. She looked up at the taller figure; her wounds had all healed, save for a little red gash on her lower lip. Now Lena could see her more clearly- not that she had a choice with the woman right up in her face- she could see why people would find a mermaid captivating.

"You should think twice before following me _."_ Golden eyes swept over light brown ones. "If you scream, I won't hesitate in killing you."

The hand slowly lifted from over her lips. Instead, it reached for the pouch at her hip. Lena balked at the movement; she knew her knife was in that bag. The taller woman pulling it out confirmed that. Her own knife used against her, how fitting. The mermaid noticed where her eyes had wandered to, a smirk tugged at her lips as she flicked the blade open and rested the sharp tip against Lena's jugular.

"So, tell me… what did you hope to achieve by following me?"

Lena pondered on what to say, knowing she couldn't outright say that it was for science. She needed to tread carefully, or risk having a knife plunged into her throat. "If I said I was curious, would you believe it?"

The mermaid huffed out a short, humourless laugh. "Careful _._ What is the phrase you humans say… Curiosity killed the cat?"

"I-"

She roughly shook Lena by the front of her jacket, cutting her off and levelling her with a glare. "Leave me _alone_. I will not repeat myself." She shoved Lena back into the wall, releasing her collar and walking back through the boxes and towards the warehouse.

Before Lena could so much as take a small step in her direction, the woman whirled around to face her once more, her hair followed like a cracking whip. "Don't even _think_ of following me. Next time, I may not be so lenient."

After she turned and left, Lena waited a few more minutes before curiosity got the better of her, pushing off the wall and quietly following. Stupid idea, but Lena paid no mind to her more reasonable side, brushing off the quiet nagging at the back of her head. What's the worst that could happen, right?

 _Right?_

Finding her way inside the building was easy. Finding the mermaid? Apparently, that was also pretty easy. All she had to do was look around and follow the path of unconscious bodies laying around. At least _that_ particular detail made Lena feel like she was on the right track.

She held her breath as she came close to one of the security guards slumped up against one of the shelving units. Lena was in no way qualified in first aid of any kind, any that she _had_ learned was a quick few lessons from Angela. Even then, she hadn't paid much attention to what the doctor had been saying in those lessons.

Kneeling down, Lena checked the man's neck, taking off a glove and pressing two fingers against the side to check for a pulse. Relief washed over her as she found the slow, steady beat against her fingertips. Lena pulled back an eyelid, not quite sure what she was looking for but vaguely remembering that part in a lesson. At least what she was seeing looking normal. She pulled away, letting the man's eyelid flap shut before pulling her glove back on and jumping up. Lena looked around, seeing more guards and workers alike around each corner, all in the same state of unconsciousness. If she hadn't checked the guard behind her, she would have assumed they were dead.

So the mermaid hadn't harmed them in any way, or at least she hoped. She was sure that this deep sleep was only temporary. From what she saw earlier, her singing voice was able to lull and knockout a person almost instantly. Which made her wonder why hadn't it worked on herself. She'd been listening to the song for a good while before the woman stopped after hearing her, why hadn't _she_ collapsed from the music?

And the woman was reckless, leaving a body trail in her wake, making her easy to follow. Part of Lena wondered if the mermaid was leaving the unconscious lumps behind because she _wanted_ to be found.

The cogs in Lena's head ground to a halt, her footsteps also faltered slightly as she mulled over that thought. She could be walking into a trap, an obvious one but a trap nonetheless. It felt like a test, one that Lena was sure the mermaid knew she would fail.

But did Lena care? _Nope._

Was she still going to follow through with hers and Angela's plan? _Yep._

Without even realising, the amount of bodies that littered the floor had decreased to the odd one or two as she moved further into the storehouse. The smell of rotting fish quickly filled her nostrils, causing her to retch at the repulsive stench as she covered her nose; her eyes watering as she tried to compose herself. Reaching for her orange goggles which were pushing her hair up, she pulled them down to cover her stinging eyes. The gloomy room around her now tinted with bright orange.

Her feet tapped lightly against the cold, metallic floor, creating echoes throughout the large warehouse. The smell of fish grew stronger as she rounded each corner, different scents wafted towards her nose as she passed the hundreds of storage crates on each passing shelf. She passed the still running conveyor belt, covered in different kinds of fish and chunks of crushed ice. Lena wondered if she should turn it off without anyone to man it but quickly decided against it, the less she had to do with this situation, the better.

Lena came to a halt outside of a room with a silver plaque which read "Security" in bold letters on its ajar door. She took a peek inside, eyes widening at what she saw. The whole room was a mess, as if a large bomb had been detonated inside it; papers were torn and strewn everywhere, files were ripped and tossed carelessly on the floor, the mini security monitors were smashed to pieces and hanging from slashed wires, the glass of the black screens littered the floor, wooden desks and chairs were overturned and left on their sides. It looked like a certain _someone_ had been looking for something, rather carelessly too.

Other rooms and offices that Lena passed all seemed to be in the same state of mess, each with their own contents turned upside-down. It wasn't until she came to the last few rooms that Lena heard shuffling and muffled noises behind a closed door, a pair of shadows appeared under the crack as the figure's legs moved about the room. Could it be a worker? Or the mermaid? Lena wasn't sure whether to call out to ask.

She settled on knocking the door, raising a hand and rapping her knuckles against the hard wooden surface. The shuffling immediately stopped, everything going quiet in an instant, the shadows under the door swiftly darted to the side and disappeared, making Lena feel a bit nervous. She braced herself, placing her hand around the steel door handle, pulling it down and slowly pushing the door open before stepping inside.


	7. Chapter 7

... So it's been a while. I've actually had this chapter and two others written since I wrote my last chapter, but I've been using AO3 instead of this site to publish them. I need to remember to publish on here too!

Sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

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As she stepped over the threshold, Lena barely had time to take in the mess of the office before she was quickly pulled in by the scruff and roughly shoved up against the door, the back of her head creating a loud bang as it made contact with the wooden pane. She let out a surprised yelp, trying to shove the attacker away but to no avail, the grip on her collar was too strong.

She looked down through her tinted goggles, from the hand clutching her jacket, traveling up the toned arm and over the muscular shoulder until she reached their face, unsurprised to find a pair of narrowed, piercing yellow eyes watching her like a hawk.

Being shoved up against things by the other woman was quickly becoming a habit apparently.

The woman snarled, pulling Lena forward once more and shoving her back into the door again. "What part of 'don't follow me' did you not understand, _human?"_ Her eyes regarded Lena, swiping across her freckled face swiftly. "Do you think it _funny,_ hm? Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"N-no I-"

"Spit it out!" The woman growled in her face, her hand moved towards Lena's collarbone, her slender fingers wrapping effortlessly around the engineer's neck. "Who sent you? Are you here to stop me?" She squeezed the pale flesh harshly, pushing against it enough for Lena to gasp as she grabbed at the blue fingers squeezing her neck. "Or spy on me?" The mermaid squeezed harder, roughly shoving Lena against the wall.

"I'm not,-" she coughed in between words, already feeling the bruises forming under her skin. Her vision started to darken, white spots dotted here and there. The taller of the two released her tight grip against Lena's neck, enough for her to be able to speak but not enough for her to make an escape. "here to stop you." Lena managed to gasp out.

That made the woman pause. She searched Lena's face for any hints of a lie, her face contorted into confusion when she found none. "You expect me to believe this? What _other_ reason _-"_

Lena struggled to form words as the hand around her neck squeezed her airways even tighter, her sharp nails digging into her throat. "Told... you, I'm-" another cough "curious."

The mermaid barked out a harsh laugh, clearly not convinced by Lena's words. "And _why_ should I believe any of this? You are a _human,_ humans hate my kind and everything we stand for!" she seethed. She was reluctant to believe that this particular human was any different.

"Please…" Lena's face flushed a deep red from the struggle, her grip becoming weak against the hold of the periwinkle blue hand around her throat. The same hand closing her airways and making it harder for her to form words slackened its hold slightly, just enough for Lena to answer which the engineer took gladly.

Gasping for air, she gulped as oxygen flooded her lungs, causing her to feel a tad lightheaded and her throat sore as she searched for the words to express her truthfulness. "If I- wanted you dead, I'd have left you... on that beach." Speaking with her throat in bits was a difficult task, but Lena was determined to make her point.

 _True_ , the mermaid thought. She could have just been left to die or finished off on that beach, and yet here she was, with her fingers wrapped around her saviour's dainty little neck. It felt somewhat… wrong to kill this one. As foolish as this human was, the engineer _did_ ensure she lived after that brutal attack.

The look on the taller woman's face would have made Lena laugh if she hadn't just been half strangled. Confusion marred the woman's features. Slowly, she uncurled her fingers from around the engineer's neck, frowning at at her. Lena clutched at her neck, shrinking against the wall as the taller figure still loomed over her. Lena lightly massaged her neck, wincing at the pain it brought her. She'd feel that in the morning- if she made it that far.

The silence stretched, and then…

"... You are an _odd_ human," the mermaid looked at her curiously, squinting at her as if trying to figure out Lena's motives. "Most humans avoid our kind and yet _you_ willingly follow."

"Guess I'm not most humans." Lena's voice rasped out. The mermaid's eyes narrowed.

"So you say."

Lena cleared her throat, heaving up coughs and spluttering. Apparently, strangulation made it hard to breath and talk, who'd have thought.

"Not gonna kill me...?"

The woman glowered at her dangerously, somehow still looking rather pretty even though she could probably kill Lena in a few seconds, she'd bet. She was beginning to wish she hadn't piped up before the taller woman spoke.

"What use are you to me, if dead? No, you're coming with me."

It was Lena's turn to look at the other woman incredulously. Had she heard her right? Were her ears bashed in at the same time she was strangled as well? "Begging your pardon?"

"You heard me. I need to keep an eye on you," She grabbed Lena by the front, pulling her closer before shoving her in front of herself and through the now open door. "So, _move_."

"But-"

"Ah ah ah," She gave another Lena another quick shove forward as she stepped through the door herself. "keep moving."

She tripped over her own feet as she was pushed out of the door. "You gonna let on any details ab-"

" _Non_."

The hand between her shoulder blades caused Lena to stumble from another push as she let out an indignant huff under her breath, turning around to slap at the blue hand. If this woman expected her to go along without knowing any details, she had another bloody thing coming.

"You expect me to blindly follow? Give me something to work with at least!"

The taller woman paused in her pushing, looking down her nose at Lena, though without her usual disgust when looking at a human. Not to say she trusted the _annoyance,_ very far from it in fact. No, she was curious about the ship engineer. Never before had she been sought out and not attacked, like the many sailors she'd encountered. Most of them idiotic fools, thinking themselves capable of taking on one of her kind.

Lena was starting to become a bit flustered and uneasy under the mermaid's empty stare, but remained determined to hold her gaze as she stood her ground. The taller of the two seemed to contemplate something before nodding to herself.

"Something has been… stolen from us," Her nose wrinkled, as if admitting it left a bitter taste in her mouth. "I am retrieving it." she added simply.

"So… what is _it?_ " Lena prompted.

Narrowed eyes stared her down, almost making Lena regret asking. _Almost._ She couldn't deny she was curious about what this mermaid was trashing the place looking for. Whatever it was, it must be valuable.

"That isn't your business to know."

Lena's lips twisted into a grimace. Really, the nerve of this woman! "Well then, you can kiss my help goodb-"

"Your _help_?"

The engineer looked up at the mermaid's face, surprised to find an expression that matched her own. Clearly the woman hasn't expected Lena to actually _help_ her find whatever she had been searching for. Lena kept quiet, nodding once and waiting for the other to speak. She frowned down at Lena, a disgusted expression twisting her features as she uttered a quiet disgruntled sound.

"And I suppose you'll want some sort of _reward?_ Compensation for your efforts?" the woman quipped, giving Lena a haughty look. She crossed her arms over her chest, leveling the engineer with a glare.

Lena blinked in confusion, slightly taken aback at the accusation. "Eh? Why would I want a reward?"

The mermaid laughed humourlessly, the echo bounced throughout the large warehouse area. "Simply because humans are _selfish_. I have studied your kind, and have never come across a human willing to help out of _charity."_ She spat the last word as if it was an insult to Lena.

Lena scoffed at the petty comment. "Like I said, I ain't _most_ humans. Remember that, yeah?"

The other woman clicked her tongue. "We shall see."

…..

They walked together in an uncomfortable silence, or rather, Lena walked in front of the other; constantly aware of the pair of yellow eyes watching her every move. The tension between them could probably be cut with that pen knife in the woman's pouch, something that Lena felt sure the mermaid preferred as she thought back to their last confrontation on the beach, remembering how she preferred Lena silent.

That however, hardly stopped Lena from bombarding the blue woman with questions.

"So how'd you have legs anyway? Is it some kind of spell?" She glanced over her shoulder at the taller woman, instantly noticing her grimace at all the questions Lena threw her way. "Are you always blue? What'd you look like underwater? How'd you-"

" _Assez!"_

Lena jumped, whirling around just in time to see the mermaid take a swipe at her which she promptly dodged, blinking backwards; arms outstretched and crouching in a defensive stance, facing the taller woman who was glaring across the room at her, yellow eyes darting between Lena's face and the now illuminated circular pad on her chest. She winced, _maybe_ she'd asked a few too many questions.

The scowl thrown her way was some good evidence of that. " _Mon dieu,_ how long must you _pester_ me with questions before taking the hint? We are _not_ friends, neither will we be."

As much as she disliked having the human around, she hoped it would play to other advantages, having a look out while she searched could prove useful, not to mention if she needed a quick escape, the young human could take the full blame for her actions. Sadly this meant letting said human tag along, having her put up with the obnoxious pest.

Lena huffed, straightening up from her low crouch. "How can you stand being so bloody quiet? It's drivin' me up the wall!"

"Some of us _prefer_ the quiet."

She scoffed. "Yeah? Well not me."

She mermaid raised an eyebrow. If she hadn't been watching for it, Lena might have missed the way those yellow eyes flicked down towards her accelerator and back to her face. She followed the woman's gaze, finding the blue light in her chest still pulsating just over the low collar of her orange t-shirt. An idea instantly struck her.

Keeping her eyes on the woman, she proposed her idea. "How 'bout I tell you about this," Lena jerked a thumb towards her glowing chest, "and you answer only _one_ of my questions. Sound fair?"

She watched as the mermaid's eyes scrutinised her as she straightened up herself. Lena could tell she was curious about her accelerator, especially after seeing what it could do. Maybe not enough to _willingly_ answer her question but perhaps begrudgingly. The woman seemed to hesitate a small fraction, and Lena wondered what she could be thinking right this second.

"You first."

Lena's eyes lit up in slight surprise as she resisted the urge to smirk. That was a fast agreement, faster than she expected anyway. _Hook, line, and sinker._ She winced internally. Probably not the best choice of wording. "How can I trust you'll keep your word?"

"Unlike humans, I have _honour."_

She walked right into that one. "I've got _plenty_ of honour, ta!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her anchor.

The mermaid hummed to herself. " _Alors montrez-moi_." at Lena's confused expression she repeated in English, "show me."

Lena cocked her head to the side, assessing the situation as she searched the taller woman's face. If she wanted the mermaid to trust her, she really needed to be open up and be trusting herself. Deciding to take the chance, she slowly began to cautiously walk her way back over to the woman, careful not to make any sudden moves as she kept her eyes trained on the other's face. "Alright, but you keep those claws to yourself, y'hear me?"

The woman's face became unreadable as she looked Lena up and down, her nose wrinkling as she did so. "I make no such promises.


	8. Chapter 8

If someone had told Lena that she'd be attempting to have a civil conversation with a mermaid a few weeks ago, she'd have called them downright barmy and inquired about their mental health. Now, on the other hand…

Keeping her eyes trained on the taller woman, she took the nearest flipped over chair, dragging it upwards and setting it back on its four wooden legs before gingerly sitting down and facing the mermaid in front of her. Without a surface to lean on, Lena rest her slightly sweaty palms in her lap, twisting her gloved fingers together as she thought of what to say. The last person she'd told about her… edition, was Angela, and that was bad enough with the curious doctor constantly asking questions about her past, especially as the ship's medic had been pulling at Lena's collar to take a peak of the blue light, that part was particularly awkward while she was trying to conceal her gender.

 _Flash back sequence_

" _Christ, Ange!"_

 _For the fourth time that evening, Lena had to slap away at Angela's hand; the hand in question which had been trying to pull her collar to the side, withdrew itself quickly._

" _I'm sorry!"_

 _They both sat in the ship's medbay, at Angela's request; exactly a week after she'd signed up to sail under The Bastion, and although she had found herself somewhat comfortable around the young doctor already, she didn't feel the desire to show the woman her accelerator, or her binding wraps for that matter. Lena wrapped her hands around her upper arms, shielding her chest away from the doctor's prying eyes and curious fingers._

 _Angela had tried her best to not look so disappointed, she really had. "I don't understand why you refuse to show me, Leo. You are a survivor, are you not?"_

 _Lena's fingers curled against the cotton of her t-shirt sleeves; blunt fingernails dug into the orange fabric as she clenched her fists, hugging herself. Really, at this point she could have told Angela about her gender, confessed to her that it was all a lie. The opportune moment she'd been waiting for-_

" _I'm scared, Ange, scared I'll be seen differently."_

 _Coward._

 _End of flash back_

What she said that day was only half true. Most of the time, Lena couldn't give a toss about how differently people would see her with the chest piece; already used to being called all sorts, but she needed another excuse as to why she wouldn't show the glowing device on her chest. At least there was _some_ truth to her words, especially regarding her new crew mates if they found out that she was a woman.

She looked over at the tall figure, noticing how she shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she stood; restless, arms crossed with her fingers tapping against them.

"You _can_ sit down y'know. I don't bite, unless asked." Lena smiled at her own joke, even more so at the other woman, who glared in her direction. Lena reckoned it'd be fun bugging this one.

"I would prefer to stand."

The engineer shrugged, "Suit yourself!" the taller woman said nothing in response, patiently waiting for the human to begin.

Lena lowered her gaze down to her hands; sitting in her lap, picking at the stitching on her glove. She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to start.

"Alrighty… guess I'll start from the beginning then." Lifting a hand to pull at her goggles, she peeled them off her face for them to hang around her neck, resting against her chest. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to normal lighting without the orange tint of her goggles. "Few years ago, I joined the RAF. Top of my division I was! Got called a young prodigy at nineteen." she said with a small chuckle, ruffling her hair between her fingers as she peered up at the taller woman, whose attention was on her, completely undivided.

Lena smiled as she carried on. "It was quick work for me, getting through the exams and protocols for flight school. Passed all my tests with flighin' colours. I was a pilot, see?" She swivelled both ways in her seat to show the mermaid the embroidered badges on her jacket sleeves; one with the union jack and on the other, her flight level and call sign. "They gave me the call sign "Tracer" because of how fast I made my way up the ranks, haven't been called that in years, mind."

The mermaid's eyes studied her patches, taking in all the little details she was told. As impatient as she was for the human to get on with it for them to carry on with her search, she couldn't deny that she was curious to hear more.

"I was running recon down in Dorado with a few other lads, had to scope out and see what the enemy were up to. Getting into their base was a bit too easy, didn't feel quite right, y'know?" Her smile began to fade as Lena recalled how she, along with her group, snuck through empty hallways and unlocked doors, that was before the gunshots started whizzing about. Even now, Lena could hear them ringing in her ears. "Turns out the ruddy bastards were expecting us, gave us a nasty surprise that did,"

Lena fidgeted, twisting her fingers together; a nervous habit she'd picked up. "I… we, lost a lot of good men that day, some with families, others were married and such." She remembered going to each funeral. Meeting the families of the dead was unpleasant, especially being a survivor. Many of them questioned why _she_ lived and they _didn't._

Her shoulders sagged. "I blamed myself for that, should've known it was a trap but I went ahead anyway…" she looked up to face the mermaid; still hard to read, her face void of emotion. Lena gave a sigh and continued. "We got caught, I was one of the luckier ones; managed to get rescued after about a week or two? Can't really remember and I try not to. Ain't no good dwellin' on the past, I learnt _that_ the hard way."

She leant forward in her chair, crossing her arms over each other and resting them across her knees as she looked down; tapping her fingers against her elbows. Opening up to this woman was proving to be easy so far. Lena was sure it was to do with the lack of response she was receiving. Having someone just _listen_ without speaking was comforting. "I'm telling you this because it's _part_ of the reason I have this hunk of metal on my chest."

Unconsciously, she lifted her hand to rub the place her accelerator sat innocently under the wrap she wore, wincing as her fingers swept over the scars she knew were there. "They conducted experiments on us, I was one of the few jammy sods who survived. I was close to dying when I was rescued, mind you, that's how I met Winston."

A small smile returned to light up her features at the thought of her scientist friend. "He looked after me, got me back on my feet. He even helped me tweak this thing a bunch." Lena added, gesturing towards her chest. The mermaid's eyes flicked over her low collar and back to her face briefly. "Not really sure what this thing was supposed to do before we fixed it, could have been a weapon maybe? I made a few blueprints based off of the design and Winston helped me with the more sciencey bits." Now that the hardest part was over, talking about Winston was an easy breeze. "I doubt I'd be here without him, he stuck it out with me when other scientists gave up."

The mermaid made a small thoughtful noise, close to a hum as she took in that information. "So, what does it do _now?"_

Lena frowned as she thought that over. Winston knew more about what her accelerator could do, or at least the time travelling part. "It's… complicated." She settled on, which earned her a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed look.

"I'm sure you can do much better than _that_ sad excuse of an answer."

She huffed out a laugh. "Suppose I can, but forgive me for being a bit reluctant to share my life support information with you."

" _... Je suis désolé._ I did not mean to-"

"It's alright… this just isn't exactly something I trust people with so lightly." From the look of the mermaid's face, she seemed pretty genuine with her apology, sincere even. Which was a surprise in itself. An apology wasn't something she thought she'd ever hear from the other woman's lips. Lena just hoped this would help in gaining her trust. "I'm also wonderin' how much you'll believe."

"Try me."

Well, she asked for it.

"I can sort of control my own time… Winston's words, not mine!" she added after seeing the sceptical expression on the mermaid's face. "I can blink forward and recall back, if I get in a pickle." She tapped an index finger against the brass plate on her chest, "This keeps me in the present timeline, an anchor I guess you could call it? It's like my second heart; once the light goes out… so do I."

"I see…"

Silence spread between them both as Lena allowed those words to sink in; lowering her gaze to her hands, a frown marring her features. The slight shame from having the machine strapped to her chest increased just a tad every time she spoke about it, it was a constant reminder of what she went through. She was sure the taller woman would think her a freak, just like the rest.

What she _didn't_ expect was for the mermaid to break the awkward silence.

"You are not like the rest of your kind. _That_ , I think, is something to be celebrated, given a human's reputation."

She looked up to the woman's face in surprise, only to be greeted by the mermaid's curious expression. And of course, Lena being herself, decided this conversation was getting too serious. She grinned. "Careful, I might think you're actually starting to like me."

The other woman snorted, "You are delusional."

"You haven't denied it!"

That drew an interesting look from the mermaid features. "I suppose I haven't, although 'like' is a strong word. To put it simply, I don't hate you _as_ _much_."

Lena was fine with that. If she was somewhat less hated by this woman, she'd take it. Any doubt she'd had about this whole situation had flown out the window. She held her tongue, deciding against replying back with a quip; what she didn't need right now was for the mermaid to think she was getting too comfortable and scare her off.

"A deal is a deal. You may ask your question."

"Huh?" That pulled Lena from her thoughts, she blinked rapidly in confusion until she remembered their agreement. "Oh, I almost forgot! No need to look so tense," she added after seeing the woman's jaw lock and her stance still. "I'm not gonna demand any secrets from you."

She could have sworn she heard the taller woman mumble, " _I'd like to see you try"_ under her breath, but decided to ignore that. "Then what _do_ you want from me?"

Lena pondered her answer, knowing that asking any big or complicated questions would result in suspicion, and that was the _last_ thing she wanted in this situation. She'd taken note that the mermaid wasn't one for many words.

"How about your name?"

She noted how the other woman stiffened slightly; frozen in place, the surprise evident on her features. "Of all the questions you could have asked me, you chose my name."

Lena shrugged, "I don't have anything to call you by… I'll even tell you _my_ name? How 'bout that? Two answers for the price of one, bargain!"

A raised eyebrow. "You're assuming I _want_ your name. I am perfectly fine with calling you 'human'."

The engineer grimaced. She was starting to regret her offer. "Alright, tha's just _rude._ I take it back if you don't w-"

"Amélie. My name is Amélie."


	9. Chapter 9

... Okay so I'm sorry I haven't been posting here, I'm mostly working on AO3 these days, which is much easier than posting here. Let me know if you'd still like me to post here if it's too much trouble to go over to Archive!

...

Lena hadn't stopped grinning as they proceeded through the rest of the warehouse, in their search for whatever the mermaid was looking for. To her left, in the corner of her eye she could see the scowling profile of her newfound… friend? Lena wasn't sure she'd go as far as calling her a 'friend' but it was a start, she supposed. At least the woman walked by her side now instead of behind her, she was hopeful there was a small sliver of trust in that.

She gave Amélie a sidewards glance with a slight smirk. "Knew you wanted my name, really."

Amélie warily eyed the smug look on the human's face. She'd never seen someone smile so much, let alone because of _her._ It was odd. Unsettling. Since she'd given her name, so many emotions had passed over the other's face. It was strange to see someone so expressive.

The obnoxious little brat was taking it all out of proportion. She hardly even wanted the human's name. All she had wanted was to silence the annoying little pest.

" _Mon dieu,_ must you _always_ be this aggravating?" she shot back.

"Nah, you're a special case."

Amélie scoffed but otherwise said nothing, deciding to keep quiet as they continued walking.

As they got further down the hallway, Lena spoke up. "Hey... Amélie?"

" _Quelle?"_

Lena fumbled with her hands nervously as they came to a stop, before sticking one out in front of her. "I'm..."

Leo? Lena? Which one was she now? Which one did she _want_ to be?

"Lena." She answered, finally settling on the truthful answer. It would be one less person to tell eventually, Lena couldn't afford to lose even a tiny speck of the mermaid's trust.

 _Lena_. A woman, Amèlie assumed. Not that she was an expert on human names, but that would explain why her song hadn't worked on this one in particular.

The mermaid just looked down at her hand warily, as if she was unsure of what to do in this situation. She frowned, looking back up at the human's face in question. Lena faltered, looking from her stuck out hand to the taller woman's questioning expression. "Oh, you um... it's a handshake. You shake your hand with mine, it's what people do when greeting each other. A nice friendly gesture!" Lena explained. She waited with her hand still outstretched, unsure if Amélie would appreciate Lena grabbing her hand to show her. She just had to wait and hope.

What surprised her was that the other woman _actually_ reached forward hesitatingly and gripped the tips of Lena's fingers in her own cool blue ones, wiggling both of their hands from side to side. Lena looked up to Amélie's face, seeing confusion marring her usually unreadable expression.

Lena tried not to laugh. Honestly, she'd never seen someone so confused before. This was the first time she'd seen the other woman's demeanour change into something that wasn't cold or sarcastic.

She decided to take pity on the woman; gently prying her blue fingers apart before sliding her own palm against Amélie's slightly larger, cool one. Lena was surprised how soft and cool the mermaid's skin was to the touch, and not scaly or moist like she'd imagined.

"Here," Lena gripped her hand firmly, giving it a vigorous shake. "just like this, see?"

Amèlie just gave a curt nod as she pulled her hand from Lena's grasp. "How… quaint."

"Don't you lot have handshakes?"

The mermaid snorted as she continued forward, "Why would we partake in something so frivolous?" she threw over her shoulder.

To that, Lena had no retort. Scoffing at the woman's rude response as she hurried to follow, continuing their trek.

They walked a little further until Amélie abruptly came to a stop, throwing out an arm in front of Lena to halt her next step. Lena frowned, glancing down at the pale blue arm in front of her then up to the face of its owner. "What is it?"

"Wait."

Amélie's fanned ears flicked as they strained in the silence. She was sure she'd heard something through the quiet hall. She peered through the large shelving units until she heard it again, this time a little louder than before.

This time, Lena also heard something quietly ring out close by. Her eyes scanned the area until they came across an open door up ahead. It sounded like an old, scratchy record playing music.

"Psst!"

The mermaid glanced down at her human companion, an eyebrow raised in question. Without uttering a sound, Lena pointed in the direction of a slightly ajar, heavy metal door on the far side of the hall. The taller woman nodded as they both crouched, silently treading their way closer across the concrete flooring.

Once outside of the door, Lena creeped a little closer and pushed against the heavy metal surface. Thankfully, it didn't make much noise as she peeked behind it, confirming her earlier assumption that music was playing as she saw an old, bronze phonograph resting on top of a large stack of books in the corner. On the far side of the room sat an old, balding man with his back to the door; hunched over a desk. Lena could just about see the corner of a journal laying across its surface in front of him.

Backing back out of room, Lena leant against the wall, turning her attention to the woman next to her. "Looks like we've got company." she whispered.

"This could complicate things."

"Can't you use your singing to knock him out?"

Amélie frowned. "It should have already. This… _noise"_ she wrinkled her nose, clearly not enjoying the sounds emitting from behind the door, "must have blocked it."

Lena sighed. "So we're buggered then?"

What she didn't expect was for the taller woman to give her a slight smirk as she straightened up.

"I never said _that."_

What was that supposed to mean? Lena blinked confusedly at Amélie as the mermaid quietly slipped through the small crack of the doorway, leaving Lena by herself.

What on earth-

A few seconds later, she cringed from the abrupt rip of the music stopping, as well as hearing a muffled yelp and a scuffle. Before Lena could so much as touch the door, it sprung open, revealing the tall mermaid; leaning against the doorframe, checking her sharp black nails, as if bored. "Now, where were we?"

Lena, fearing the worst, pushed her way past Amélie and into the room, only to find the balding man from earlier, now unconsciously slumped over his desk.

"You didn't-"

"Kill him? _Non."_

She hadn't heard the mermaid sidle up to her. And as if she already knew what Lena was about to ask, she'd had her answer at the ready.

Lena frowned. "Then... how'd you manage that?"

"Simple." she replied, pulling her drawstring pouch from her hip to show the human the green, powdery substance within, "I used pufferfish skin." Amèlie took a pinch full, rubbing the dust between her fingers. Lens watched as it fell from between her blue digits. "In large doses it can be lethal, however, inhaling small amounts can render even a behemoth of a man unconscious."

The engineer's eyes widened as she looked from the man, to the pouch tied back to the mermaid's hip.

"How long will he be out for?"

Amélie shrugged as her eyes darted towards the man, then back to Lena. "Depending on his size… I would say a couple of hours, give or take. Plenty of time to continue our search."

Lena nodded and took in the room around her. Most of what she saw were stacks books, all piled up together, on every surface . Even the large cabinets in the far corner were bursting full of books and parchment. The unknown man wasn't one for decorating it seemed, the plain grey, painting-less walls gave the room an overall dull look. Apart from the lone wooden desk, phonograph, book stacks and cabinets, there was nothing else to look at.

"Hey, try not to-"

 _ **SMASH**_

She jumped at the sudden noise, whipping around to catch sight of Amélie… and the now shattered remains of the phonograph at the woman's feet.

Lena winced, "-break anything this time."

Honestly, she really thought there wouldn't be any opportunity to break much in this room, clearly, she was wrong. She looked up to find the woman trying to feigning innocence.

" _Oops_."

She rolled her eyes. "We both know you did that on purpose!"

"Complete accident. My hand slipped." her lips curled slightly as she toed the smashed pieces. "Such a _pity_ he won't be able to hear from this piece of junk again."

Lena sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. "Don't break _anything else_."

"I'll try my absolute hardest, _cheriè."_ was the reply she got, dripping with sarcasm.

Ignoring the other woman, Lena made her way over to the filing cabinets. She began thumbing through the contents of the open top drawer. "Y'know, you still haven't told me what you're looking for."

Not even sparing Lena a glance, Amélie made quick work of shoving the man off of the desk for a better look of his journal. "You will know it when you see it."

Did she actually expect an answer? Lena wasn't sure what she was expecting, really. Let's just say a part of her wasn't surprised over what she got.

 _ **Thwump**_

Lena tensed, instantly stopping what she was doing to slowly turn around. Thinking she'd broken something else, she called out, "Please don't tell me you've broken-"

No, Amélie hadn't broken anything. What she _did_ find was the poor bloke she'd been trying to shift, in a heap on the floor as the other woman took his place at the desk.

" _Amélie!"_

That got her an annoyed look, one of the famous glares that she'd become so accustomed to before she turned back to the large, leather book in front of her. "He was in my way." She flipped through a few pages before coming to a stop, stroking over the written words with her finger.

She glanced over at Lena while tapping her fingernail against the journal page. "Look here."

Lena trudged across the room to peer over the woman's shoulder, seeing detailed drawings of various sea life, with small notes written in the margins. She looked to where Amélie had been pointing to; her finger skimming over a particular drawing, which was easily recognised as a mermaid.

Her eyes roved over the drawing, taking in what was shown before her. The sketch revealed a woman of different skin to Amélie; more of a salmon pink in colour. She realised quickly it'd be silly to assume they would all be the same, before going back to her study of the journal entry. Deep blue eyes stared back at her through long curtains of wild, inky black hair. She sported long gashes across her ribs like Amèlie's, which, Lena still assumed were gills. Perhaps she would ask the taller woman sometime. Further down the page was her long, twisted tail; a pale gold in colour and decorated with filmy fins near her hips, which trailed down as long as her tail.

What interested Lena more was the little notes scribbled around the sketch:

 _ **Mermaids have no hair to speak of. Even what appears to be eyebrows are markings merely mimicking human features.**_

 _ **Their "hair" is actually external gill filaments used to extract oxygen from the water.**_

 _ **Merfolk are at their most helpless out of water. Even though their dual-function lungs can breath air, their sensitive skin can dry out with overexposure to the sun and heat.**_

 _ **They differ widely in colouration, sharing the distinctive characteristics of fish of their region.**_

 _ **Like certain species of tropical fish, mermaids may be capable of a physical transformation called protogyny, where a female mermaid may change herself physically into a male. This process allows the species to thrive and would explain the rarity of male sightings.**_

She barely had time to read more before Amélie took hold of the pages with one hand, using the other for leverage as she ripped them roughly out of the book. She scrumpled them together before struggling to force them into her already full pouch.

The taller woman was breathing heavily, her nostrils flaring angrily and her hands clenched into fists. Amélie's eyes narrowed dangerously, looking down at her pouch. "I will _not_ allow this _parasite_ to gather more information about my kind."


End file.
